that is my other drink. i love a good chai. yes, friend. ch good morning, america. flattening the curve. signs of hope the outbreak may be slowing, but inside hospitals, the battle still raging. doctors taking us inside an icu as they race to save lives. >> what happened just now is an absolute emergency. it's a life-or-death situation. >> new york state dealing with the highest one-day death toll yet while hard hit michigan faces a staff shortage at the state's largest hospital system. detroit's mayor imploring people to stay at home. >> we're at a very dangerous time if we don't stick with what we're doing. >> white house task force coordinator dr. deborah birx joins us this morning with the very latest. breaking this morning, an

exclusive abc news investigation. american military medical investigators sounded the alarm about coronavirus back in november. so why didn't the white house ramp up efforts to combat covid-19 more quickly? rapid tests roll out. results ready in just five minutes. the game-changing technology now shipping out across the country. who can get them and who can't? just how accurate are they? >> thank you. road to recovery. survivors speak out after beating covid-19. a texas woman heads home after being on a ventilator for ten days. >> i'm a survivor. the grandmother who moved out of the icu. and the father of three home after nearly a month in the hospital. the lessons from those who beat the virus. and the tv doctor saying thank you to the real health care heroes from shows like "house," "scrubs" and "grey's anatomy." >> i want to thank all the doctors and the nurses. >> how the stars are showing their gratitude this morning.

>> announcer: live in times square, this is "good morning america." good morning, america. it's great to be with you on this wednesday morning. it's also great to have george and robin joining us from their homes. good morning, sunshine. good morning, robin. >> good morning to you, michael. it is wonderful to start with a glimmer of hope from where the pandemic began. after 76 days of lockdown, wuhan, china, is open again. the city has only reported three new confirmed cases in the past 21 days. the people counted down like it was new year's eve. i don't blame them. midnight light show, skyscrapers lit up with the words "hello, wuhan." air, train and bus service into and out of the area is back now. some restrictions do remain but, george, this is definitely progress we want to see. >> it is so good to see that progress, robin. and it comes as the worldwide death toll has risen now above 80,000 people, 82,000 people but

more than 300,000 have recovered from their battle with coronavirus. important to keep an eye on that as well. on the economic front the treasury department is asking congress for an additional $250 billion for small business loans. the initial 350 billion from the stimulus package is already gone. there is so much need out there. >> i know. already gone. we're going to speak with dr. deborah birx. coronavirus task force in just a moment. but we'll continue our coverage with tom llamas at st. john the divine being turned into a field hospital, once an iconic church. good morning, tom. >> reporter: robin, good morning to you. for weeks we've told you how the hospitals here in new york city need help and now a new life line. as you mentioned st. john the divine, the largest gothic cathedral in the united states. that truck behind me loading in supplies, tents and beds and to think that medical patients are

going to be treated inside of a church during holy week is far from normal but now it's necessary. this morning, growing evidence the outbreak may be slowing. but go inside hospitals, and you'll see painful reminders the coronavirus still has a grip on america. >> around 4:00 three people died, one after another. >> reporter: that reality playing out at maimonides hospital in brooklyn. doctors taking us inside one of their icus. >> they need you over here. >> come, let's go. >> reporter: dr. william pascal alerted a patient is having extreme breathing problems. her oxygen and blood pressure dropping. the doctors and nurses work together to flip the patient over. it's a maneuver called proning. they tell us it helps the oxygen flow and that move ultimately saved the patient's life. >> what happened just now is an absolute emergency.

it's a life-or-death situation. unfortunately, that's what we're seeing with a lot of our patients here. >> reporter: in new york the rate of hospitalizations is dropping. but the state also dealing with its highest one-day total in fatalities. >> that 731 people who we lost, behind every one of those numbers is an individual, is a family, is a mother, is a father, is a sister, is a brother. >> reporter: michigan also facing a prolonged battle with the coronavirus. the state's largest hospital system, beaumont health facing staff shortages. 1,500 workers, including 500 nurses off the job because of coronavirus symptoms. in detroit, the mayor imploring people to stay home, social distancing could be working. >> we are at a time where i think we may be bending the curve but we're at a very dangerous time if we don't stick with what we're doing. >> reporter: this morning, we're also hearing the powerful stories from those on the front lines.

in new jersey, nurse vicki hilario going beyond the call of duty working 12-hour shifts then volunteering to conduct covid-19 testing. >> it's all about being selfless and being able to think about other people beyond your understanding. it's just your love to serve others. >> reporter: as the fight against covid rages on, america in some areas struggling with so many abrupt changes. in wisconsin, long lines of people wearing masks, not looking for care, looking to vote. state leaders and the courts unable to compromise on how to change the election date. voters defying stay-at-home orders and long lines also in south florida. people lined up to pick up forms to apply for unemployment benefits. a lot of masks but not a lot of distance. >> we had a lot of people show up way too early. we gave out hundreds and

hundreds of applications but now we're printing up hundreds and hundreds more because we just have more demand. >> reporter: and those images of those long lines you just heard right there, more signs of how so many are struggling financially right now. we also want to mention this morning there was a family down in new orleans that lost four members, the franklin family, officials now telling us all four of them tested positive for the coronavirus. michael. >> all right, tom, tough news to hear. thank you very much for that. now to that breaking news, an exclusive, abc news investigation out this morning reports that the national center for medical intelligence warned the military and the white house late last year about the spread of coronavirus in china. our senior white house correspondent cecilia vega joins us now with the details. good morning, cecilia. >> reporter: hey, michael, good morning to you. so, it was just yesterday that president trump said no one had even heard of the virus two months ago but we are now learning that as far back as late november american military medical investigators overseas sounded the alarm to officials

right here at home about a contagion sweeping through wuhan. those concerns that the virus could be devastating were detailed in a report and multiple sorts have described that report to our team. now, it's not just that, there were repeated briefings for policy makers across the federal government through december and by early january the warnings made it into the president's daily briefing. but it wasn't until late january that president trump made his first public comments about this virus saying that he wasn't at all worried about it and that he had it totally under control. of course, this is now raising serious questions about whether the administration could have ramped up the response efforts before it actually did. michael, so far no comment from the pentagon or officials at the white house. >> we know you'll stay on them today, cecilia. we also heard the president in the middle of this pandemic threatened to cut off funding to the world health organization. sorry about that. >> reporter: he did, you're right, michael. it's because he says he's angry with the group saying they've been too china centric during

the outbreak and said point blank we'll put a powerful hold on the money given to them but a few minutes later he seemed to backtrack saying he's strongly considering it but if this does happen, it would be huge. the u.s. is the largest single contributor to the w.h.o. we're talking hundreds of millions of dollars, michael. >> not long ago he was praising the w.h.o. thank you so much, cecilia. going to go to george now. george. >> thank you, michael. we're joined by dr. deborah birx from the white house coronavirus task force. dr. birx, thanks for joining us. we just had that report right there that the national committee on mode kal intelligence first compiled evidence of a cataclysmic coronavirus event in china back in november. they briefed it to the military. they briefed it to the white house. so why wasn't more action taken more quickly? >> well, i have to say i wasn't here during any of those events. i was working in sub-saharan africa on hiv-aids so i don't

really know the situational awareness around that report. >> okay. well, we'll follow up with the white house later. let me ask you, though, about r

hiv, malaria, tb, a variety of diseases. >> let's talk about the spread of the virus right now. what are the most encouraging signs you're seeing right now and which hot spots give you the most concern? >> so, we track on a county-by-county as well as hot spot metro area. we want to make sure we don't miss any rural areas so we were tracking for small outbreaks in rural areas and the health commissioners and the local governments have handled those supe superbly, and we're very confident those were single outbreaks and then we're tracking the large metro areas.

you know, we look at daily case reporting but i think it's really important that we look at those not only as single days but combination of days and really look for trends and look at our testing data to see whether the number of test positives have started to decrease because we're doing a large amount of testing now so by -- we integrate all of that t are concerned about the metro erea of washington and baltimore and the philadelphia area. all of our previous areas seem to be steady, at least. ud then certainly we're looking very carefully at california and washington to really understand how they've been able, as a t mmunity of americans to mitigate so well. >> given what we're learning iout all that, is it realistic to think that the guidelines could be relaxed by may 1st or is it going to go on far longer than that? >> so we're doing a series of clear investigations of what happened in washington and l.a. and what does that mean and how you keep the number of cases down.

we're also looking very arefully at rolling out an hopefully having soon within the stxt 10 or 14 days an antibody test to tell how many americans were asymptomatic and infected. this makes a big difference in ieally understanding who can go back to work and how they can go back to work. so all of those pieces need to come together over the next couple of weeks. en finally, we all learned that your infant granddaughter was suffering from a high fever over the weekend. you weren't able to go see her. how is she doing now? >> thank you very much. fortunately she got the rash of roseola yesterday which is very reassuring. when you make diagnosis from telemedicine and it's your own granddaughter you're nervous andicularly with the high fever associated with covid-19. i knew she hadn't been out of y e house and that whole house is quarantined so still you worry terribly.

so thank you. >> great relief. dr. birx, thanks for your time this morning. >> thank you very much. tellso, robin, that is good news right there. today, we are going to follow up on the investigative report. it's simply stunning that medical intelligence had reports r corona in china back in november yet nothing was done thatweeks and weeks and weeks. >> many were taken aback hearing about that, george. aank you. george, as you know, this orning we also have some incredibly tough news to share with everyone. it's a very sad day for our gma family. we know coronavirus has affected so many of you and it has claimed one of our family members too. our talented studio camera ht ligor, tony greer has passed away from complications due to the coronavirus. he was such a bright light an sixg in our studio for more ehan six years and you could s so feel tony's beautiful spirit. you could feel it from a mile

away. we love tony and there's so many things they loved. his oved his family. his beloved mother fannie, his sister janet. rs brother kevin. he loved taking his nieces, nephews, any relative who came to visit him, he'd take them out and show them the city. he loved his longtime girlfriend liven. we're thinking of her. she lives in his hometown of chicago. er a love traveling the world together and traveled pitensively and tony loved his music playing guitar in his band picking up gigs around the city allplayed a mean guitar. he was a cool dude and he loved "gma." he loved meeting all the people that would walk through our doors, actors, singers, stars. tony got to see them all and he itok pictures, as you can see ith many of them and they were gracious to take a picture with him. we loved every single moment we were blessed to spend and share with tony. youcondolences to his family in

chicago, his mother fannie. we've got to say this to you, ul.am, your son was a good man. he was kind, he was thoughtful. th was always a gentleman and, .eorge, you know as a parent, you can't ask for much more than that. >> you cannot, robin. boy, you said it right there. tony and i shared the early shift in the breakfast room. he was a consummate gentleman and just such a lovely man. such a lovely spirit and, michael, as you know also, just a total pro. >> good total pro and somebody, moorge, that you see every day and we always had a good morning, always a smile. you saw him in the early shift. in the breakfast room, i guess he was going back for seconds re iuse i would see him a little bit later there as well. but he will be missed here in our studio and thoughts and fayers are with tony's family ord our "gma" family as well. thank you, guys, for that. let's go to ginger at home. to ginger. >> ah, this is a very difficult

morning. michael, thank you so much. i have to say, it's funny, i didn't know what you would say but tony was such a part of my morning routine, not just from yhe pantry where we get our food but i almost would time my morning by seeing his smile. eeat is going to be so missed, but i can't imagine the feeling for his family and so many people that have been touched by this virus, i just want to say we love you, tony, and your family. ll hnow we have to of course start with weather news because there's serious weather happening and will happen again today. going to get you right into the le-pures west of pittsburgh, new kinsington, pennsylvania, a church wrecked by 75 mile-per-hour winds. those damaging winds were just one element of the severe ltorms. we were talking about the potential for large hail yesterday. check that out. that verified. goodness gracious, cedar brook, wisconsin, where up to three inch hail were found. gr golf ball size hail in parts of illinois, that was winnebago n thide chicago and more on that wisconsin, that hail falling from there to toledo, that storm

moves through the mid-atlantic this morning and then a new front moves through. so you have southern illinois, southeast missouri and even northern mississippi and alabama all included in the enhanced risk but i want you to see that yellow area outside of it. still have a shot of seeing tmaging winds, isolated tornadoes and definitely large hail again. behind this serious cold as we get into the weekend, even philly dropping into the 30s. let's get to the stormy cities now brought to you by allstate. good morning. i'm abc 7 news meteorologist mike nicco.

after gray start, look for sunshine and milder temperatures this krafternoon. a spray how tray shower across bay. dry conditions this weekend. low 60s along the coast. mid to upper 50s along the bay. tonight, upper 40s to mid 50s. my seven-day fofofofofofofofofoo coming up, the new rapid test. a result in minutes instead of days, but who can get it and who can't? also this morning, the patients who battled the virus and won. what we're learning from them as well. grocery delivery reality check. how long are the waits and what can you do to find some of those hard-to-get items? we're going to let you know when we come back with more "gma." happen every day. people are surprising themselves the moment they realize

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lysol spray kills over 100 illness causing germs, even this season's most common flu strains. lysol what it takes to protect. now, your health, your safety, this is abc 7 news. >> good morning. it's official now, students from six bay area counties will not be heading back to school this academic year, at least not to their regular classrooms. san francisco public schools said on monday, students will begin teacher-led distance learning. the superintendent of schools pleaded for laptop donations. digital home schooling is lagging behind in some places like oakland. the district still doesn't know a day for when its distance learning program is going to start. bart will run every 30 minutes on weekdays until further notice. officials say reducing service

will allow greater flexibility for their employees to take time off and to care for family members. the move also potentially saves $3.7 million per month in their operating budget. coming up, we're gonna find a way through this. we're working really, really hard in hospitals, our nurses are techs, all the docs. it's about staggering when people get sick so that the hospitals can cope. we're gonna go through an awful lot of these all across puget sound. people have been stepping up and donating personal protective equipment. we stay at work.for you. you stay at home for us. just no know we're all with you.

thank you,thank you so much. thank you doctors & nurses in this time of crisis we run with them, toward those in need. we are 7,000 doctors, nurses, pharmacists and therapists supporting their efforts on the ground and virtually. and just as we are by their side, we're by yours, too. with answers to your most pressing questions and expert advice at cigna.com/covid19

now your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. >> welcome to wednesday morning. let's look at our current conditions. up in the north bay where we were clear before fog formed, we are cooler, 30s and 40s. the rest of us in upper 40s to low 50s. it's a gray start. for our commuters, there's a stay shower in the south bay. if you missed the boon, moon, i be brighter tonight. my seven-day forecast, dip in the temperatures tomorrow. warmer next week. >> thank you. coming up on "gma," you will hear from coronavirus survivors, people put on ventilators, they

are now talking about their journey. another abc 7 news update in 25 minutes. you can find us at

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all the good that we can do. to everyone working to keep america strong, thank you. ♪ welcome back to "gma." that's harry connick jr. performing with ellis marsalis, the patriarch of the first family of new orleans jazz who, unfortunately, passed away a week ago from the coronavirus and, robin, you're going to catch up with harry live in our next hour. he will perform and he's going to pay tribute to the legend and beloved new orleans as well. >> yes, he often talked about ellis calling him a grand master educator, a caring mentor. he was a dear friend and harry said he wouldn't be who he is without him and remember him talking about him so often. so we'll talk about that and hear some music from harry.

that's in our last half hour. top headlines right now. signs of hope. signs of hope the coronavirus outbreak may be slowing in the hard hit state of new york. the rate of hospitalizations is dropping but the state also dealing with its highest one-day total in fatalities. also right now, acting navy secretary thomas modly has resigned in the wake of that leaked audio in which he called the ousted commander of the "uss theodore roosevelt" stupid. he did that while addressing the ship's crew and had removed the captain from his post after a memo warning of coronavirus spread onboard was leaked to the press. we do have good news from twitter's ceo jack dorsey, he has pledged, are you ready for this, $1 billion to help fight coronavirus. 1, with a "b," $1 billion, george. >> wow. such an important contribution right there from jack dorsey. he is a generous man and what he

said is that once this crisis has passed he's also going to dedicate it to women and girls' education all around the world so that money is going to do a lot of good for a long time. >> it will. we turn now to an update on the rapid coronavirus tests that promises to deliver results in minutes rather than days. they are being rolled out now in some parts of the country and matt gutman joins us from los angeles with more on their availability and accuracy. good morning, matt. >> reporter: hey, good morning, george. so far only about 1 in 200 americans has been tested for the virus. often those tests are packaged up like this in packages that say biological substance shipped across the country. it can take a week to get results so those five-minute tests could be a game changer but right now they're being rolled out in the many thousands, public health officials say they need to be produced in the millions.

>> reporter: this morning, with the nation mobilizing to roll out additional tests, president trump touting the new rapid covid-19 tests from the medical device giant abbott, one he himself has taken. >> in total 1,200 abbott machines have been shipped nationwide. up to 500 more are being produced every week and 50,000 testing cartridge being manufactured per day. that means a lot of very fast tests. >> reporter: fast with results in as little as five minutes. abbott announced they rolled out 190,000 so-called id now covid-19 tests to customers in 21 states. they're also available at walgreens and cvs stores across these ten states. in massachusetts our affiliate wcvb capturing hundreds waiting bumper to bumper. to try the quick self swab test on tuesday. those presenting symptoms can sign up online and if approved test for free. then at a test site a health

care worker in ppe comes to your window and hands you a swab. the sample is loaded into an on site testing machine. positive test results yielded in about five minutes. negative results in about 15 minutes. >> we're seeing people test positive and we're having conversations with them about steps they should take and providing them with information on how to take care of themselves and back in touch with their doctors. >> reporter: but still this morning concerns about availability and accuracy for both rapid and less rapid testing. >> if you test very early in symptoms, the amount of virus in the respiratory tract can be very low and you can get a negative result. again, that could be a problem with these really rapid tests or the less rapid diagnostic tests we're using now. >> reporter: increasingly public health officials are delegating testing. abc news learned by next week the entirety of the city of l.a.'s out of hospital testing will be administered by a local ngo. and private clinics like this

california urgent care picking up the slack. >> we don't know the extent of the disease and i think that understanding the disease pattern will help us understand when we can begin to resume normal life. >> reporter: and so the next big push in testing is not going to be for the virus itself but for the antibodies. those telltale proteins in your blood that show your body has fought off the virus and that's one reason here in l.a. the mayor considering rolling out what are called immunity passports. basically allowing people to go back to work if they can show they have evidence of antibodies in the blood which theoretically would mean you can't infect anybody else and you are immune from the virus yourself. michael. >> well, they can't roll out the rapid tests fast enough. thanks. to the survivors on the road to recovery. stories from across the country about the americans who fell ill, some hospitalized and put on ventilators now returning home. t.j. holmes joins us now with some of their inspiring stories and this is news that feels good

to hear this morning. good morning. >> reporter: it does, especially when it's become part of our daily routine. we see daily briefings and get up dates on numbers but you don't get enough emphasis on this number, the number of recovered. it's the number that george gave us at the top of the show here, over 300,000 have recovered. and behind each of those is a face, a family, a story worth hearing, sometimes just simply an image worth seeing. >> thank you. >> reporter: a texas-sized send-off for a woman back from the brink heading home after ten days on a ventilator at a hospital in austin. [ applause ] this mother of five from new york leaving the hospital reuniting with her husband, images of coronavirus survivors are a bright light right now during some dark times. [ applause ] >> reporter: we're seeing survivors like sharon allen who spent five case on a ventilator. the staff at this center

celebrating when the 63-year-old grandmother was moved out of the icu. >> i was just thanking them and praising them, you know, for the things they had did for me. [ applause ] >> reporter: she is home now but says the hardest part was being away from her family. >> i have 14 grandbabies so i would talk to, you know, them like they was in the room and that lift me up and kept me going. [ applause ] >> reporter: and in georgia, this woman made her way through the halls to cheers, recovered and released hugging the doctors and staff who helped her get back to full health. >> i'm a survivor. >> reporter: and then there's this man, we were there last week when the 44-year-old finally reunited with his wife and children after nearly a month in a virginia hospital icu. >> hi, baby. hi.

i love you so much. >> reporter: the father of three lost 50 pounds in the hospital. his wife amanda grateful he's alive but knows there is a long road ahead. >> he's got a lot of emotional flashbacks and memories from being so close to death and that's going to be with him forever. >> keep up the fight and there's always hope. >> reporter: and keep in mind here most of these folks you're seeing are not people who have been in some trial or getting experimental medicine. a lot just making it through, stra, and it's important to remember each person who has recovered now has the potential to help someone else recover because doctors do believe we now possess those incredible or powerful antibodies that could help someone else get through it, strahan. important to show these stories as well. >> i love watching these health care workers cheer on their patients because they truly are heroes, t.j., thank you for that. coming up here we come back with more "gma." a concern for coronavirus and smokers and vapors with a

book offering a sfour-step program to quit. up next, a grocery reality check. how long are the waits. we have the other smart ways to help you shop. we'll be right back with more "gma." shop. we'll. back with more "gma." stay right there. step by step, we're going to figure this out. we're gonna find a way through this. we're working really, really hard in hospitals, our nurses are techs, all the docs. it's about staggering when people get sick so that the hospitals can cope. we're gonna go through an awful lot of these all across puget sound. people have been stepping up and donating personal protective equipment. we stay at work.for you. you stay at home for us. just know we're all with you. thank you,thank you so much. thank you doctors & nurses

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welcome back to "gma." stay-at-home orders do not change the fact that you need to feed your family. many around the country rely on ordering their groceries online

or delivery, but wait times are making it challenging for some. you know becky worley has been looking into that for you and how to find those hard to get items, as well. good morning to you, becky. good to see you again. >> good morning, robin. good to see you and getting groceries is starting to feel like a medieval quest. it's difficult. it feels dangerous and delivery as you mentioned is not as available as we'd like it to be. what can we do to make it easier? this is the new reality of grocery shopping. limited entry. six feet of distance and low stock. one way people are managing, grocery delivery services. order online and, poof, they're at your door but -- >> it seems as there's been a rise overnight so these services are not equipped to be serving 100% of the population, much less 5% of the population. >> reporter: so using three grocery delivery services we tried to order in the suburbs of chicago, new jersey and dallas.

in dallas whole foods had no delivery slots available. instacart and the regional chain did. in chicago, instacart and whole foods had same day delivery but the regional chain not until next sunday. in new jersey, nothing available at all. >> these companies are offering a kind of essential service. these delivery workers are putting their lives on the line to give us our food so at the very least i think they do deserve some kind of hazard pay, overtime, something to give them compensation for their services. >> reporter: now what about low stock? first tip shop early. many stores are restocking overnight. and try corner stores and regional grocers. there are also many new tools debuting that use web bots to scour for inventory. for example, the supply finder.com can help you find newly-restocked items like hand soaps and cleaners, both online and in store. finally, think commercial. we headed to a nondescript industrial park because we were

desperate for paper products. a janitorial supply store there had plenty. we made the rounds in our neighborhood to bring much needed good cheer in the form of these coveted rolls. let me be clear about these grocery delivery services. they are under incredible pressure. instacart says their growth from last year has been 300% last week. they're trying to hire 300,000 new shoppers. same with amazon and walmart scaling up. so all of the grocers that we talked to are doing everything they can to keep their employees and customers safe. all while dealing with low inventory. these folks are hustling, robin. >> they really are. i'm glad you gave them a shoutout like that. becky, what are other smart ways we can shop? >> well, some people say looking for delivery try midnight or early morning. you can also load up your cart and then play refresh roulette where you keep refreshing your

browser to find a spot and next door. people are offering to shop for their vulnerable neighbors on that social media site. >> yeah, they really are. i bet you and your family are a big hit in your neighborhood throwing out toil el paper winners. >> toilet paper winners. >> you get toilet paper. you get tp and you get tp. thank you so much. you can find more grocery shopping tips on our website. coming up, it's our "play of the day." . come on back. ♪

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and everyone staying home to protect others. we will get through this together. ♪ we are back now with our "play of the day." an uplifting performance from some very talented young people singing one of our favorite songs. ♪ and we'll rise up, rise like the day, we'll rise up ♪ ♪ we'll rise up and we'll do it a thousand times ♪ >> that is the garden of dreams alumni ensemble raising our spirits. beautiful ballad. "rise up." >> hitting that note. >> oh, she hit it. she got it. ♪ >> she sure did. we'll have great music coming up in our next hour as well, harry connick jr. is going to be live. ♪ just one of those things

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now, your health, your safety, this is abc 7 news. >> some headlines. marin county is preparing for a surge of new patients. it is nearly double the number of icu beds. san francisco has opened its first field care clinic. to reduce the number of people going to the hospital. in the south bay, vta is bringing back rail service. it stopped for two weeks after an employee tested positive for coronavirus. >> let's check in with mike nicco. >> thank you. good morning. after a gray start, look for increasing sunshine and milder temperatures, not only this morning but this afternoon. you can see from 63 in half moon bay to 70s. my seven-day forecast, hold steady through at least friday, maybe a little cooler tomorrow.

much warmer this weekend. >> mike, thanks. coming up on sounding the alarm abo

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it's 8:00 a.m. flattening the curve. new signs of hope that the outbreak could be slowing. we're inside hospitals where the front line battle against covid is still raging. doctors and nurses racing to save lives. >> what happened just now is an absolute emergency. it's a life-or-death situation. >> new york state reels from the highest one-day death toll yet. hard hit michigan facing a staff shortage at the state's largest hospital system. white house task force coordinator dr. deborah birx talks to "gma" this morning. also this morning, the new concerns about vaping, smoking and coronavirus. the road to recovery for people struggling and the new program to help you kick the habit. we have been rolling out a deal every day to help america's small business.

this morning, this message. >> a week ago, we couldn't make payroll. yesterday you featured us and you emptied our warehouses. thank you on behalf of all small businesses across america. we're going to make it. >> and our new deal this morning. ♪ one way or another game on. play together to stay together while being apart. all the ways to up your quaran-game this morning. ♪ down by the riverside join us in hunkering down with harry. harry connick jr. joins us live this morning from his home as we say good morning, america. ♪ whoa, whoa welcome back to "gma." thank you for being with us on this wednesday morning joining us from your homes and we're happy to have robin and george joining us from their homes as well. hey, robin. >> michael, what day is it? >> hump day! just for you.

>> thank you, my friend. needed to hear that. everyone has their own way of dealing with the stress during this extraordinary time. you know, yesterday we showed everyone the tiktok doc who is saving lives and he's also putting a smile on millions of faces with his great dance videos. well, this morning we'll talk to him live, george. get ready. >> he's doing great. yeah, our girls here at home are making a lot of tiktoks as well looking forward to that. and harry connick. we'll move now to the latest on the fight against covid-19. the worldwide death toll topped 82,000. just as important, more than 300,000 people have recovered from their battle with coronavirus. want to go back to tom llamas at the cathedral of st. john the divine here in new york city which is now being turned into a field hospital. good morning, tom. >> reporter: george, good morning to you, and we're learning more details about how that conversion is going to take place. it may sound very complicated,

but the church and medical officials are working together. let me just showing something real quick as we pan over right now. this is the church but right next is mt. sinai morningside. so there's a hospital right next door. they will be transferring beds, setting up tents and hopefully, treating patients. this morning, growing evidence the outbreak may be slowing. but go inside hospitals, and you'll see painful reminders the coronavirus still has a grip on america. >> three people died. one after each other. >> reporter: in new york, the rate of hospitalizations is dropping, but the state also dealing with its highest one-day total in fatalities. >> we've got 731 people who we lost. behind every one of those numbers is an individual, is a family, is a mother, is a father, is a sister, is a brother. >> reporter: michigan also facing a prolonged battle with the coronavirus. the state's largest hospital

system, beaumont health, facing staff shortages. 1,500 workers including 500 nurses off the job because of coronavirus symptoms. in detroit, the mayor imploring people to stay home, social distancing could be working. >> we are at a time where i think we may be bending the curve, but we're at a very dangerous time if we don't stick with what we're doing. >> one of the most encouraging signs you're seeing right now and which hot spots give you the most concern? >> so we track on a county-by-county as well as hot spot metro area. we also want to make sure we don't miss any rural areas so we were tracking for small outbreaks in rural areas and we are concerned about the metro area of washington and baltimore, and we're concerned about the philadelphia area. all of our previous areas seem to be steady at least and then certainly we're looking very carefully at california and washington to really understand

how they've been able as a community of americans to mitigate so well. >> reporter: i had the chance to speak with a husband and wife who are both e.r. doctors here in new york city. they actually had to send their kids away to tend to all the ill in the city and i asked how they were doing this and they told me one of the things that helps them get through at 7:00 every night here in new york just like in other cities across america they open their windows and hear all the people cheering and shouting their support for all the health care workers. so that is definitely working when it comes to the doctors and nurses, george. >> yeah, that encouragement is so important. okay, tom, thanks very much. michael? >> thank you, george. we have the latest now on british prime minister boris johnson. he remains in intensive care in a london hospital this morning. his second night in the icu after being admitted for worsening coronavirus symptoms. his spokesman said he's in stable condition and is in, quote, good spirits. the foreign secretary, the de facto deputy prime minister,

saying johnson has needed oxygen but is breathing on his own and does not require a ventilator. that is some good news. coming up here how the coronavirus is creating new challenges for smokers and vapers, and inspiring people to drop the habit to stay healthy. what you need to know to quit. plus, the tiktok doc. the doctor on the front lines of the coronavirus keeping us safe and he's keeping us smiling with his incredible videos. he's joining us live this morning and the one and only harry connick jr. inviting so many to hunker down with him. we're going to talk to him, and he is going to sing for you. we'll be right back. gs ♪ >> we'll be back. ♪ one of those bells that now and then rings ♪ more than ever, your home is your sanctuary. that's why lincoln offers you the ability to purchase a new vehicle remotely with participating dealers. an effortless transaction-all without leaving the comfort- and safety-of your home.

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♪ good morning, good morning good morni ♪ good morning ♪ good morning, good morning good morning, america. welcome back to "gma." thank you for being with us this wednesday morning. it is great to have amy here in the studio with me as well. >> thank you, always great to be with you, michael. i always -- makes my morning and guess what, tomorrow we'll highlight some more small businesses with "deals & steals" so it's a win/win for everybody. also lara brightens up our mornings each and every day with "pop news" from her home. hey, lara. hey, amy, looking good, lady in pink. i want to start by giving a suggestion. if you're looking for something special to watch tonight, we highly recommend something. it's a bittersweet moment for our abc family. "modern family" is airing their final episode tonight and, guys, whether you watched all 11 seasons or just caught a few episodes here and there, we are told this final bout is sure to make you laugh. something we could all use and since we are part of the family

they were nice enough to send us a first look at the send-off where the dunphys have decided their house is too full, and one of the kids has just got to go. take a look. >> alex is the one that has the most education. >> i shouldn't be penalized for being smart. i'm not running for president. what about you? didn't you apply to college? >> yeah, but i never heard back from them. college is rude. >> okay, you can figure this out amongst the three of you as you clean up the house. we need a name by the end of the day. >> it's not going to be me. i can't imagine being apart from my best friend. >> nice try, luke. oh, man, it's working. >> come on. >> you can see how it all works out tonight as we say good-bye to this brilliant cast and crew. the two-hour series event begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern, and the final episode airs at 9:00 p.m. right here on abc. so sad to see them go, but i am told that it is not to be missed.

so check that out. also in "pop news" this morning, i don't know about you guys, but i certainly have been chatting a lot online with my friends virtually, zooming, talking to my single friends in particular about what it's like to be dating in the age of the coronavirus and many of them are sort of bummed out about it. wondering if dating will ever be the same again when we get past the self-quarantining and face masks. it's not exactly the easiest time to find the love of your life, right? well, a dating app called hinge -- write this down if you are single. they're trying to help you out and trying to bridge the gap for singles to connect with digital dating. here's how it works. you use the app like you normally would a dating app. then once you match with someone, the date from home menu will appear and ask both you and the person you matched with if you are ready for a digital date? if you both say yes, the company connects you and you can begin going on virtual cocktail, having a coffee virtually for

two. and the company decided to incorporate the feature after a recent survey, did it just recently in recent weeks, discovered more than 70% of their users are open to having digital dates. so do check that out for a little company if you are looking for that. and then finally, we have proof for you this morning that people are getting very creative in quarantine. here is an eggcellent example for the use of eggs. take a look. ♪ ♪ i want to break free ♪ i want to break free >> i love him. that video had us cracking up, no pun intended, well, okay, pun intended all morning long, had thousands of views including queen's own brian may posted on instagram, now, that's what i call a guaranteed smile in a grim world.

he deserves a medal and, brian, we certainly agree. thank you to the egg man for that. hope you all are having a good day. that's it for "pop news." >> that was eggcellent. >> yes. >> thank you. >> ooh. >> made me so happy. i didn't know what to expect when kelly sent it to me and, wow, that was quite a surprise. >> a good one. a good surprise. now we go to our "gma" cover story which, robin, you have it. >> i certainly do. our "gma" cover story about the impact that covid-19 has on vapers and smokers. now, according to the cdc 78% of patients who have been in the icu have had an underlying condition, which includes smokers. the author of a brand-new book called "quit vaping" says that knowing that could push vapors and smokers to finally kick the habit. deborah roberts spoke with him and joins us from her beautiful home. good morning, deb.

>> reporter: hey, robin. so good to see you. by some estimates as many as 7 million americans are regular vapers and many have damaged their lungs which leaves them vulnerable to the coronavirus. well, one former cigarette smoker is offering them a lifeline saying there is no better time for them to quit. >> i know that's bad because i know i'm supposed to be quitting. >> reporter: this 25-year-old is struggling with his vaping habit. >> i probably hit this thing about, like, 250 times in this hour break. >> reporter: he's also got sickle cell anemia and knows vaping can cause additional complications so chris is trying hard to quit at johns hopkins tobacco treatment clinic. >> oh, yeah. i probably shouldn't be running out of breath this quick. >> reporter: vaping as surged in popularity amongst america's youth. in 2019 more than 5 million middle and high school students admitted using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days.

now with the covid-19 crisis some nicotine users are sounding the alarm, like actress patricia arquette who tweeted one of the most important things you can do is quit smoking and vaping. >> it amplifies the message that, hey, you're not alone in your struggle and the opportunity to change is right now. >> reporter: brad lamm is author of a new book on quitting vaping. is this message more urgent now than ever before? >> i wrote this book thinking that it might help a small set of kids and parents, help a loved one quit vaping. i never imagined that there would be this global pandemic going on. >> reporter: lamm's advice includes a four-step program. first setting a date to quit. working on your cravings with things like gum or patches, getting friends and family for support and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. so what can family members do to be supportive? >> hold them accountable to say, hey, this is the most important thing our family can do in this

moment is help you stop and stay stopped. >> reporter: the national institute of health even issuing an alert that people recovering from addiction now face new challenges getting access to social support and medication due to covid-19. >> i think a lot of people that have struggled with addiction and recovered are finding it difficult to connect to the very things that have helped them stay stopped. >> reporter: as for chris, the road to recovery won't be easy. >> if someone's nicotine addiction is really severe you have to prepare the patient it may take one, two, three, even six months before they start feeling the medication really work for them. >> reporter: for those still struggling, lamm offers this advice. >> i know that it is hard to stop. but i promise you it will not kill you and vaping may. >> reporter: as for support during this time of social distancing, lamm advises use social media. facetime, web seminars and the

american lung association offers a lot of tips as well and for those of us doing live shots at home for the first time, we've got support too. pepper. >> hey, pepper. come on, lucas. you want to see pepper. >> she wants to say hi to little lucas. >> come on. come on, lucas. lucas, lucas. >> say hi. >> we're on the clock, lucas. we're on the clock. there you go. there you go. >> i couldn't resist, robin she was sitting at my feet. had to let you say hello. >> oh, so good to see. i know we've been hearing from a lot of viewers, the fact that we are showing our dogs and sending us pictures of their pets helping them through a difficult time. great to see you, deb. pepper is very chill. >> you too, robin. >> there you go. >> she's really chill. it's early in the morning. be well. >> oh, my gosh. well, yes, that's all we can do. "quit vaping" is out now.

michael? >> lucas is a little camera shy this morning. >> what's going on? oh, my gosh. now we're going to boost -- we'll talk about boosting your immunity which is always important especially right now. a new book "life in the fasting lane" has ways you can rev up your body's ability to fight off viruses. adrienne bankert joins us with the story. good morning, adrienne. >> reporter: hey, michael. good morning to you. i know they're talking about their puppies and spending time with pets, but i'm spending a lot of time around my refrigerator. this safer at home time meant a lot of us are eating more, maybe stress eating and having more comfort food. but the authors of this new book say that fasting could be the ounce of prevention we all need right now. >> i struggled with obesity my entire adult life. >> reporter: 46-year-old eve meyers started fasting two years ago, cutting out breakfast and snacks, and since then, she's lost 40 pounds and her prediabetes disappeared, but there was a surprise. she believes that fasting also improved her immune system. she says she used to get sick all the time.

>> since discovering fasting, i have gotten sick twice in the past year. which has been really an incredible change for me. >> reporter: even her allergies are gone. could fasting along with healthy eating habits actually improve your immune system? eve's new book "life in the fasting lane" says yes, fasting revs up an intracellular cleaning process. dr. jason fung is a co-author. >> it is one of the first lines of defense against any virus. what essentially it does is it goes around sort of cleaning out these sort of excess in the system. when you're not eating your body wants to get rid of extraneous cells. >> reporter: so during this process, tiny structures called lysosomes attack viruses, break up their dna, stop viral replication and play a role in presenting these viruss to the immune system so they can

develop antibodies. it can be ramped up when you're fasting and dr. fung says by fasting regularly you might be giving yourself extra protection. >> if you're trying to extend the longevity of your car you don't keep running it all the time at high speeds but want to run it less. that's the idea. you want to eat less, so put yourself in the prepare and maintenance mode. >> reporter: so what should fasting look like? it's whatever works for you as long as you check with your doctor first. >> your body will handle it. whether you eat three meals a day with no snacks, you just need to make sure that you do have a period where you are not eating just so you can give your body a little bit of a break. >> reporter: eve says for her it was a matter of eating healthier and skipping breakfast and snacks. >> and at its simplest level for me my health improves. my mental clarity improves and i'm quite frankly, less hungry. >> reporter: okay. so obviously the authors are saying very, very clearly that fasting is not a cure or a treatment for covid-19, but you heard some of the benefits and remember.

if you do have any kind of pre-existing conditions or you don't, you want to check with your doctor before you fast. amy? >> yeah, adrienne, that is certainly good advice. i've been a faster for the past two years. never felt better. now it's nice to know maybe it's helping the immune system as well. "life in the fasting lane" is out now. thanks for that, adrienne. let's go back to ginger now. >> reporter: so it's good. my stomach is growling right now so i'm also with you there, amy. let's go ahead and start with the pink supermoon. did you see it? a lot are taking extra time at home to do some stargazing. you would have seen this. wow. closest to the earth this year and named for the pink wildflowers that happen in spring. 7% bigger. 30% brighter. that's incredible. good morning. i'm abc 7 news meteorologist mike nicco. after gray start, look for sunshine and milder temperatures this krafternoon.

a spray how tray shower across bay. dry conditions this weekend. low 60s along the coast. mid to upper 50s along the bay. tonight, upper 40s to mid 50s. my seven-day fofofofofofofofofoo ♪ something big we turn now to "deals & steals." you know, the u.s. chamber of commerce says that 43% of small businesses believe they have less than six months until the permanent shutdown is unavoidable, and that's why we've been shining a light on some including the one we told you about yesterday, molly and you food mixes which saw a huge turnaround after our segment aired. take a look. >> good morning, america viewers. thank you very much for saving our brand. a week ago we couldn't make payroll. yesterday you featured us and you emptied our warehouses. thank you on behalf of all small businesses across america. we're going to make it.

>> that is such great news right there. tory joins us again. tory, today you have a small business hit real hard, a local institution for decades but taking a hard hit right now. tell us about it. >> reporter: that's right, george. rendezvous restaurant, a memphis institution for 72 years, third generation family owned in the 1950s charlie developed their dry rub ribs. it has served presidents and rock stars. on a busy saturday they serve 3,000 customers but now the 750-seat restaurant sits empty. they say this is harder than a fire they endured because at least with that they had a plan and a timetable and now everything is uncertain. but number one this restaurant is about family and food. they have two employees who have been there for more than 50 years. and their number one goal right now is to do right by their employees. and so they are offering "gma" viewers the chance to bring some memphis barbecue from their

family to yours. look what just arrived to me from fedex. can i show it to you? it just arrived about 20 minutes ago. everything is 50% off. all of this is made by hand and shipped the same day. so nothing is in the freezer that is, you know, that they are looking to unload. they want to fire up the pits and serve as many people as they can so head to our website. you'll get all of the details there. be patient with them. they're cooking as fast as they can, and they're honored to be able to do this. >> oh that, is fantastic. thank you, tory. we're honored to partner with them as well. get all the details on our website. when we come back the tiktok doc. ♪

now, your health, your safety, this is abc 7 news. >> good morning. here is the very latest local headlines on the coronavirus pandemic. california is set to buy 200 million masks. san francisco's mayor is expected to give an update later this morning. we will bring you that live here on abc 7. the bay area has surpassed 4,000 confirmed cases of covid-19. students in six bay area counties will not be heading back to class this academic year. san francisco public schools says on monday, students will start teacher-led distance learning. mike nicco

eveso we can stillg a answer your calls. now. and we are monitoring our system 24/7

to ensure that we have a fast reliable network, keep the customers connected, and making sure people are staying safe. and we're still on the road. solving critical issues as they arise. ♪ go to xfinity.com/prepare. thank you. now your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. >> take a look at how empty 87 is down in san jose. for you commuters, there's a stray shower possible in the south bay today. look for increasing sunshine and the moon, it's going to be brighter tonight. it rises later, 8:43. increasing clouds tonight. see the moon this evening when it's clearer. temperatures dip a little tomorrow but look at the surge of warmth this weekend and into next week. >> thanks, mike. another abc 7 news update in

30 minutes. find us on our news app and at abc7news.com. the news continues now ♪ because i'm gonna stand by you ♪ ♪ because i'm gonna stand by you ♪ ♪ even if we break it down ♪ we can find a way to break through ♪ ♪ even if i can't find heaven, i'll walk through hell with you ♪ ♪ love, you're not alone 'cause i'm going to stand by you ♪ those are just some of the incredible health care workers fighting on the front lines of this coronavirus pandemic. we are so grateful for all that you are doing to keep us healthy and safe. >> that's right. there are so many heroes helping to save lives. this is lynnann anderson. she's from hack even sack medical center in new jersey. she's been a nurse for more than 40 years, volunteering to leave her normal unit to care for many

covid-19 patients at her hospital which is obviously so commendable. so happy she's willing to do that after all those years of service. then take a look at antonio let me make sure i say his right name. campodonico. he is also working for over 40 years as an rn and served in the vietnam war as a medic and he says he is equally honored to be at the front lines of this pandemic saying he didn't think twice before stepping up to help because before i'm a father, grandfather, brother, or son, i am a nurse. >> absolutely amazing. >> beautiful. >> it is beautiful. health care workers are taking moments to cut loose and relieve stress and yesterday we showed you the tiktok doc. this is dr. jason campbell at ohsu in portland, oregon finding moments of joy and putting a smile on all of our faces with this video. this one getting nearly 4 million views and now this morning he is joining us live with some of his fellow health care workers at ohsu. please welcome dr. jason

campbell, the tiktok doc. doc, how are you? >> good morning. >> good morning. thank you guys so much for joining us. thank you for all you're doing there on the front lines of this pandemic. you're keeping us healthy, and keeping us safe, and your videos are keeping us sane. but we -- >> thank you so much. thank you for having us. >> how are you guys doing over there? >> we're hanging in there. we're doing as good as we can. people are concerned and nervous but people are also resilient and we're just making sure we keep people spirits, and positivity going. >> you certainly are and, dr. campbell, this is hard to believe seeing how adept you are at doing these tiktok videos. >> thank you. >> you just learned how to do them about a month ago. so what inspired you to start this? >> well, the reason i started was to reach the youth and the opportunity to connect with the african-american youth. i thought i could be where they are and they could be where i'm at in medicine, or be a lawyer or businessman or woman one day.

>> these videos, millions of people are loving these videos. how does this response make you feel? >> it's incredibly humbling. it's exciting. a chance for awareness for the medical community. these are tough times and, if we can do anything to raise people's spirits, then that's our goal and that's our purpose. so the overwhelming support is very humbling indeed. >> we love seeing that smile of yours and also love seeing some of your co-workers there with you. i understand you got a few with you in the room and you're willing to show us some of your moves right now here on national television? >> oh, gee. yeah, i do. i have dr. don dillman and mike ruiz and do a cha-cha slide for you. you got to get up and join us. >> oh! >> come on, michael. >> this is an easy one. >> all right. let's go. >> come on, now. >> i'll count it off for you guys. here we go. right foot two stomps, left foot two stomps.

slide to the slide. slide to the right. crisscross. crisscross. cha, cha, real smooth. there we go, guys. thank you for having us. >> you just let everyone know i don't know my right from my left. >> don't worry about that. >> doc, we got to say we didn't expect to dance this morning, but thank you for that. you continue to put smiles on our faces and i'm sure a lot of people are laughing at us at home right now. >> that's okay. thank you for having us and our prayers are with our colleagues in new york and the patients. thank you so much. >> thank you for that. we love everything you're doing there, you and your hole team. not only for everyone there in portland but doing it for the country making everyone extremely happy and you're working on the front lines. putting smiles on faces. so everybody here at "gma." we want to do something special for you guys. so peta pit at portland state university have cooked a delicious lunch for you guys today, and we can't do much for you but what we can do is take

care of that. so lunch is on us, and thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank you for that. that's so kind. thank you. >> thank you. see you on tiktok, doc. >> hey, i'm looking toward to it. >> all right. thank you. >> stay well. >> be well. thank you. >> you too. be well. coming up, quarantine gaming. the big trend keeping friends and family busy while staying connected at home. we'll be right back.

♪ back now on "gma." and how people are bringing new tech to an old school tradition, game night. >> that's right. i know we've all been having fun with this with our families and friends. it's a way to stay connected while social distancing, with a couple of new twists. we had to get creative here. becky worley is back to tell us more from san francisco. hey, becky. >> reporter: good morning, amy. good morning, michael. quarantine gaming. yep, quaran-gaming. is takes the spontaneous fun of a group game night and puts some zoom in your zoom chats. >> ready, go. >> reporter: in tiny boulevard, tennessee, this couple posts a trivia game for their town. >> don't look like anybody got it. sorry. >> y'all. >> it's all right. >> i'm gonna let it go. >> reporter: they're not alone. quarantine gaming or quaran-gaming is a big trend.

>> four. >> reporter: first games that use video chat. house party is a free app that's a lot like zoom or skype, but it has games built in like heads up. >> look at his face. >> reporter: okay, cool. amy is playing with her friends and then there's trivia. whoa. our resident game master himself is playing. now, all video calling services, skype, zoom, facetime that let you screen share provide the option to play third party online games that aren't built right into the app. cahoot is one my kids love and quip lash. it really feels like a game show via zoom and there are plenty of games to play with friends. >> ah. see, i'm always throwing the wrong thing. >> reporter: one that's weirdly popular right now is mah-jongg. yeah, mah-jongg. >> yeah. >> eight doubles. >> reporter: and even board

games you may know in real life like settlers of catan have an online version. >> start by rolling the dice. >> reporter: these teachers in colorado blowing off steam with friends. >> whoo. >> reporter: a much needed laugh from games that have adapted to the times. house party is probably the easiest to get started with. we have info on all of these games on our website, goodmorningamerica.com but you guys have played a bunch of them. they're fun, right? they're not exactly the real thing, but they're fun. >> i played the trivia so much i already know the question. so i have to find something else to play. >> that's cheating. >> i know all the answers because they keep cycling through. i got to find something new. >> i play with my producers erin and farron and did the trivia too and i like the report that i did not come in last place out of the three. >> all right. >> sorry about that, erin. >> golf clap. golf clap. >> actually surprised myself. becky, thank you so much. everybody at home, make sure you check out a list of viral games

to play with your friends and your family. visit goodmorningamerica.com and now back to ginger. >> reporter: thanks, michael. we've been playing kids on stage. like charades with adrian and miles, very entertaining now we have to bring it to house party with some friends. how about we talk about another game in a "gma" moment? check this one out. >> you hit the jackpot. >> bella. bella. bella won. >> yep, that's parker and bella playing tic-tac-toe the only way to play with your dog. make do with whoever is there. i love that one. please take a moment, go to my facebook page or drop me a dm on instagram with your "gma" moment good wednesday morning. i'm abc 7 news meteorologist mike nicco. after a gray start, look for sunshine and slightly milder temperatures this afternoon.

our warmest weather with the greatest amount of sunshine hits this weekend and spipipipipipipi time now for your daily riva sighting with a cameo as we discuss the return of "who wants to be a millionaire?" moving back to abc. the 20th anniversary edition hosted by our pal jimmy kimmel. abbie boudreau got to go backstage before his big premiere. check it out. >> reporter: "who wants to be a millionaire?" is back in prime time with jimmy kimmel stepping in for regis philbin. >> what should i do with my gum? >> you take this. how does this work? >> yeah, tell you what, you can put it right here. >> i got something. >> thanks. nice opening, jimmy. >> when you walked out, you were chewing gum. >> yes. >> aggressively chewing it. >> it pains me to see that young punk chewing gum and handing it to regis. >> did you ever figure out where the bowman capsule is located? >> in the brain, in the kidneys,

stomach, lungs. >> i don't keep mine in any of those places. >> i did figure it out but have since forgotten. >> reporter: this time a few changes due to the current climate as we fight the coronavirus. >> surreal to be here and -- >> even weirder without an audience. >> even with all the problems going on that have made this a challenge to produce, i think it's such an important time for this show. everything about this program is so positive. such great family entertainment. >> reporter: jimmy and celebrity contestants sitting six feet apart. the new celebrity edition has big payouts with $1 million to their charity of choice. >> it's the anderson family foundation. the charity i'm playing for. >> reporter: a few tweaks to the game. instead of phone a friend, celebs bring a friend on set and the at home audience can play to win too. >> viewers can win the same amount of money at home on an app that the celebrities win in this chair. >> reporter: but there's one thing that will never change.

i wondered if you were going to have your own spin on, like, is that your final answer? >> i mean it's a classic line. you can't mess with that. >> reporter: for "good morning america," abbie boudreau, abc news, los angeles. >> and the new "who wants to be a millionaire?" premieres tonight, 10:00, 9:00 central right here on abc. as you can hear our guys approve. coming up, harry connick jr. performing live. so don't go anywhere.

there are times when our need to connect really matters. to keep customers and employees in the know. to keep business moving.

comcast business is prepared for times like these. powered by the nation's largest gig-speed network. to help give you the speed, reliability, and security you need. tools to manage your business from any device, anywhere. and a team of experts - here for you 24/7. we've always believed in the power of working together. that's why, when every connection counts... you can count on us. back now on "gma" and our next guest, oh, multi-grammy, back now on "gma" and our next guest, oh, multi-grammy, emmy and tony award nominee, harry connick jr. he has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. he's going to perform one of his many hits in just a moment but first we are happy to have harry joining us from his home nearby. he's also in connecticut at home.

harry, it is great to see you and, you know, jill, the daughters, all doing so well and this youtube show of yours is phenomenal. hunkering down with harry. how did you come up with that idea? who came up with that? >> first it's great to be with you again, robin. you know how much i love you. hunker down with harry is something that i came up with just because i'm hunkered down with my family and i feel helpless. there are so many people who are taking care of us on the front lines, all the people in the health care community, people like you who are giving us the news that we need, janitors, garbage collectors, people who are doing church services online, teaching online. i felt like -- i felt compelled to want to do something, and being an entertainer, i thought it might be nice to give people a respite from what's going on, and give people a show a couple of times a week. >> oh, my goodness. it is wonderful, my friend and it is a family affair.

your daughters, both in front of and behind the camera are really a part of this, aren't they? >> they really are. jill and i have three daughters, georgia, kate and charlotte. they are 23, 22 and 17. and georgia is actually my director and she's filming me right now and kate is one of my correspondents and charlotte has different segments on the show. so you know, i'm putting them all to work and doing a great job. >> they truly are. hey, you know, my friend, we're both proud to say we are from the south. your beloved hometown of new orleans, another area that is getting hit hard by the coronavirus. there's something you want to say to the people of the crescent city, harry? >> we've been there. we haven't been in this particular place, but we have had hard times before, and there's a resiliency and a passion with all the people, you know, in that part of the world, and, you know, we have a lot of

faith, and we have great leadership. the mayor and governor are doing a great job and we'll keep plowing through and have a lot of faith. so i'm proud of my town and i have a feeling we're going to be okay. >> i do too and i remember when we were together, harry, it was the tenth anniversary of katrina and we went down to new orleans and ellis marsalis jr., he was a dear friend of yours, a mentor of yours and we were down there in new orleans and that music center that was there, that is there in honor of him, just tell people what this man has meant to you. >> well, in a nutshell, robin, branford marsalis, ellis' son and i decided that we wanted to do something for the community of new orleans. so we started the musicians' village. right in the center of it is the ellis marsalis center for music and we named it after ellis because ellis is the patriarch

of jazz music in new orleans, and losing him just a few days ago due to complications from the coronavirus was profoundly upsetting to me and to the whole community. so we want his legacy to live on, and if people want to look up the website, they can go to ellismarsaliscenter.org. it's all pretty special and miss him tremendously. >> thank you for that. and i know that you want to pay tribute to your dear friend and the city of new orleans and you're going to do that right now. here is harry connick jr., my man, singing "city beneath the sea." take it away, harry. ♪ ♪

♪ take me, take me to the city beneath the sea ♪ ♪ the river will wrap around me and the music will let me be ♪ ♪ you can find me on the neutral ground on the corner of fleur de lis ♪ ♪ please somebody won't you take me to the city beneath the sea ♪ ♪ how long can i stay away ♪ how long can i stay away

♪ take me, yeah, take me to the meters and the mardi gras ♪ ♪ they bet you where you got your shoes and they eat their oysters raw ♪ ♪ pork chops, dances all night long, but he won't dance for free ♪ ♪ please, somebody won't you take me to the city beneath the sea ♪ >> oh, yeah.

oh, beautiful, harry. my goodness. >> robin. >> this is why we're crazy about harry connick jr. thank you. you are a beautiful testament. you embody the spirit of new orleans and the marsalis family and jazz. thank you, my friend. stay well. stay healthy. >> thanks, robin. love you. >> we'll be right back. love you too. ♪ to the city beneath the sea

>> announcer: tuesday, >> announcer: tuesday, jump-start your morning with chase rice and a live concert break. only on "good morning america's" spring concert series sponsored by zyrtec. thank you so much for joining us on this wednesday morning. >> we will see you tomorrow. bye, everybody. right now with so much on the line we're all in this together. tomorrow "gma" kicks off a day of hope with live performances, surprises and a super bowl winning quarterback helping feed our fellow americans in need. tomorrow on "gma."

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now from abc 7, live breaking news. >> good morning. breaking news is that bernie sanders has suspended his presidential campaign. sanders was trailing far behind former vice-president joe biden. his campaign lost even more steam when the coronavirus pandemic hit. here is mike nicco with a look at the forecast. >> let's look outside. it's gray in many areas. i promise more sunshine if you need to get outside and get vitamin d and shake off cabin fever. milder in the north and east bay. 70s there. a little dip tomorrow as clouds will be more dominant. look at that warm sunshine this weekend. >> thanks, mike. it's time for "live with kelly and ryan." we will be back at 11:00.

join us then. find us on our app and at abc7news.com. take a nice look at the beautiful bay bridge. have a great day, everyone. >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, film and television star, taraji p. henson. and from the smash hit series, "modern family," tibor l. plus, don't let your food go bad. tips on how to save your perishables. get ready to meet a veterinarian from ohio. and don't miss our story of the day. all next on "live!" ♪ and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest! ♪ >> ryan: and here we go again. good morning. it's wednesday, april 8th. we are coming to you live. kelly, how are you? >> kelly: i'm well. how are you d