Coronavirus updates: 84% of California population to go on lockdown Sunday night

Former President Barack Obama said he will "absolutely" get the vaccine if Dr. Anthony Fauci says it's safe to take, and Obama said he may even have cameras present for the moment to demonstrate to the public that he trusts the science. 

"People like Anthony Fauci, who I know, and I've worked with, I trust completely. So if Anthony Fauci tells me this vaccine is safe, and can vaccinate, you know, immunize you from getting COVID, absolutely, I'm going to take it," Obama told SiriusXM host Joe Madison.

"I may end up taking it on TV or having it filmed, just so that people know that I trust this science, and what I don't trust is getting COVID," he continued. "I think at this point, particularly in the African American community, we are -- African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans -- we have the highest death rates from this thing, and are most exposed and most vulnerable, in part because we have a lot of preexisting conditions."

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson

CDC Director Robert Redfield said he believes December, January and February will "be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation."

“December and January and February are going to be rough times," Redfield said at a virtual Chamber of Commerce event. "Largely because of the stress that it’s going to put on our health care system."

Redfield said he anticipates another 150,000 to 200,000 deaths by February. That would bring the COVID-19 death toll to at least 422,000 Americans.

Two residents of the Hawaii island of Kauai were arrested for flying home when they allegedly knew they had tested positive for COVID-19, said Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami.

They were arrested by Kauai police for "second-degree reckless endangering," Kawakami said.

Kauai has seen an "unprecedented surge" in cases, the mayor said. As of Tuesday, the island had 16 active cases, according to the Health Department.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he expects the state to receive 170,000 doses of Pfizer's vaccine on Dec. 15 if all safety and efficacy approvals are granted.

Cuomo said he expects additional doses of Pfizer's vaccine as well as initial allocations of Moderna's vaccine, if approved, later this month.

Cuomo says effective widespread immunization could take until June through September.

Meanwhile, Cuomo says New York faces "another mountain" in the fight against rising cases and hospitalizations.

The governor reiterated that small gatherings are the No. 1 cause of COVID-19 spread in the state.

Of the over 193,000 tests reported in New York on Tuesday, 4.63% were positive, Cuomo said.

-ABC News' J. Gabriel Ware