the benefits of the covid vaccine out weigh the risk for use in individuals 16 years of age and older? 17 said yes, four no and one abstained. the vote happened after more than eight hours where the panel made up of the leading independent scientists and health care experts raise their questions and concerns. >> because the stakes are so high, i think having an outside questions not only of pfizer but the fda and get the questions answered seems to be a smart thing. >> reporter: pfizer's team lead the presentation and answered questions about the vaccine and lightning spread development. >> we were able to enroll over 40,000 participants in the record six weeks giving them each two doses of vaccine and ensure the safety while conducting the trial with strict compliance and uncompromising quality. >> reporter: the main concerns raised by the panel possible allergic reactions to the vaccine and pfizer's plans to

monitor those who get vaccinated for possible side effects. while the committee's yes vote is not the final seal of approval, their green light does make a huge difference. >> i think they'll probably take a couple days to review the committ committee's report and review their own data and be an internal fda committee meeting so i would expect that we'll hear a final verdict within a couple days. >> this panel is independent of the fda and that's why their recommendation carries a lot of weight and will be taken seriously as they make their decision whether or not to issue an emergency use authorization. that final decision is expected within days. kris reyes for abc 7 news. >> thank u yo. fedex and ups is ready for the mission of the century, delivering the covid-19 vaccine. they were sent out ups today followed by the vaccine itself. we have the breakdown of the distribution process.

>> reporter: pfizer has been training to distribute the vaccines since march. here is how it will go down the starting at the pharmaceutical companies kalamazoo, michigan plant. 2.9 million doses will be shipped out in 24 hours going to all 50 states. 2.9 million vaccines will be shaped to the same locations three weeks later for the second dose. 500,000 will be held in a reserve for the backup. remember the slogan, what can brown do for you? in this case bring a covid-19 vaccine because the boxes are traveling by truck and air via ups and fedex. treys of viles will be taken from more than 300 freezers and loaded into specia boxes. each box can hold five treys, which is 5,000 doses. there will be a tracker inside each box. a pfizer control tower will be virtually monitoring the boxes 24/7. plus, a team of 20 to 30 people will be watching in case

anything goes wrong. this is not only to keep up with the location but to make sure the vaccine stays super cold, minus 70 degrees celsius to be exact, which by the way, is colder than winter in antarct a antarctica. every bay area county will receive the first bach of vaccines. santa clara will get the most with 17,000. >> you want to be sure to download the app for the latest developments on the vaccine like the fda's emergency use authorization. dr. patel part of the abc 7 vaccine team keeping you informed about all the developments for the covid-19 vaccines. so doc, let's talk about advith advisory meeting. 17 voted to authorize. four voted no. one abstained. what do you make of that? >> what i make of it overall is great news and not surprising. this is what we expected base the on what we seen previously in terms of the vaccine safety and effectiveness. for anyone tuning in i'm

reassured the level of detail they went into today, people listen in on the hearing, they were getting into the weeds of the science, trials, asking questions that's exactly what we wanted to see and hear. >> all right. so in the weeds a couple allergic reactions, is that a huge cause for concern? >> not yet. so i'm glad you asked this question because yesterday it was a big concern because of headlines. people had come out and labeled this as a severe allergic reaction and health regulators in the u.k. said anyone with a history of allergies should not get the shot. is that a shellfish allergy, latex allergy? a blanket statement that will cause a lot of fear and what people are hoping is we'll get more data from what happened with these two individuals, what their specific allergy history is to add a little more data and some calm to the american people. i think everyone needs to take a

deep breath and realize that in a trial of 44,000 people, there were no severe allergic reactions and the chance of a aa severe reaction to a vaccine now is 1.4 per million doses. >> all right. so those are impressive numbers especially when you talk about over 40,000 people being tested so far. but you know and we talked about this off camera for months. no matter what the fda says, there are millions of people you can read it on social media, i'm not taking that vaccine. some think it hasn't been tested enough and others think you're a human guinea pig if you're with the tinfoil bill gates is inserting something into you to track you. it's absurd. let me ask you personally, would you take the vaccine as a front line worker? >> absolutely, larry. i'll take it on live television. it's approved. my colleagues are taking it. we'll have the nation's experts recommending it. when we get to that point,

absolutely. lay it on me in terms of the conspiracy theories. we've heard them all regarding this vaccine. we know the truth. we know evidence will be out there but i think this is a really important time in terms of transparency and direct communication with everyone. we need to also get cultural and community leaders involved to make sure we're getting the right information to every single community on who needs to be getting this shot. >> now, canada approved the use of a pfizer vaccine. mexico bought 34 million doses of the chinese vaccine. what's your take. >> every country has a differing governing board when they approve, what vaccines they approve and the time of the purchasing and overall, assuming that all vaccines are meeting a certain safety standard, i use this catching corny phrase.

more shots on goal. we need more vaccines to get to the heard immunity level faster than waiting around for one vaccine to get enough doses to everybody. >> and hopefully people will feel confident that they can safely take the vaccine. dr. patel, thanks if s for your, as always. >> that's important. absolutely. a push underway to urge state officials to prioritize public state employees to getting the covid vaccine. >> educators, school secretaries, janitors, bus drivers should be vaccinated and should be vaccinated as soon as possible because every day that kids miss that in classroom education is another day that we're failing them in this state. >> politicians, educators, parents among others today joined the call you heard from san francisco supervisor. they want those in the education system to be put in the second tier of the state's vaccine distribution plan after first responders. marin county has already made that decision.

california is set to receive vaccines next tuesday. we're bringing you in depth coverage about the vaccine and we'll answer them. go to abc7news.com/vaccine to submit your question. concern now the bay area's icu capacity is dropping. down to 17.8%. when it gets below 15% that would trigger the stay-at-home order for the counties not opting in. capacity in the san joaquin valley is down to 1.9% and as of this morning, there were 11,497 patients hospitalized with covid in california. that's up nearly 500 cases from yesterday. a silicon valley energy company is expanding covid test lab capacity in hopes it can speed up the return of businesses and get schools back to normal. david louie gives us the first

look into bloom's energy lab and the impact it hopes to achieve across the region. >> this 1$1.5 million will add virus testing capability. >> this cannot wait for months to get back. so we think it's really essential. >> reporter: with the promise of vaccines, bloom energy believes this lab will accelerate the ability for bay area companies, schools and universities to return to normal using a system developed by the university of illinois, it can process 10,000 tests per day with same-day results using a proprietorry y saliva test. >> every organization needs to step in and say how can i help? >> reporter: the university of illinois system has been doing 1 million tests performed. >> i would like to think of crushing this virus, you don't just watch it and monitor it but step in to make sure that it doesn't transmit, and that's

where minutes couldn't. >> reporter: bloom engineer gee is urging ceos to take advantage of the lab. the cost is $35 per test. >> the earlier you can identify a positive case, the earlier to intervene and quarantine and stop the spread. >> reporter: for every six tests performed, one will be donated to gardener health services trying to reduce double digit infection rates. each wednesday it has the capacity to test 1,000 patients but can only do 743 yesterday due to limited capacity. it turned away 96 patients whose unknown status could spread covid-19. bloom energy's website has more details for employers and schools. david louie, abc 7 news. santa clara county is teaming up with a valley transportation authority and labor unions to test essential front line workers. today bus and light rail drivers and mechanics and maintenance crew members lined up to get tested free of charge at the light rail yard in san jose.

union leaders say this program is vital to help keep the members as well as the public safe. out of work and out of money. salon workers protest the new stay-at-home order. pandemic hanukkah, how the jewish community is keeping a tradition while staying safe. state of the art, school is out but education is continuing. how local organizations are pivoting to keep kids engaged in the arts. i'm spencer christian. we call this the rainy season for a reason and that will be ap

my body is truly powerful. i have the power to lower my a1c. because my body can still make its own insulin. and trulicity activates my body to release it, lowering my blood sugar from the first dose. once-weekly trulicity responds when my body needs it, 24/7. trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. it's not insulin. it isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, changes in vision, or diabetic retinopathy. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with sulfonylurea or insulin raises low blood sugar risk. side effects include indigestion, fatigue, belly pain, decreased appetite, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting which can lead to dehydration and may worsen kidney problems. i have it within me to lower my a1c. ask your doctor about trulicity.

to your friends... your family... to your teachers. in that spirit of giving, chevy's proud to give our employee discount to everyone. the chevy price you pay, ...is what we pay. not a cent more. because giving, ...and giving back, is what the holidays are all about. use the chevy employee discount for everyone to get a total value of over eight thousand four hundred dollars on this silverado. get the chevy employee discount for everyone today.

in marin county today a covid-19 protest that resonated across the state, abc 7 news reporter wayne freedman talked to hair stylists and salon owners that had more than enough with closures due to california health guidelines. >> reporter: when we last saw kelry little two days ago, she had been in her salon racing the clock trying to get in one more client before noon when marin county ordered her to close. >> this is our last few hours to work for four weeks, maybe. >> reporter: today kelly and every other stylists in marin had too much free time so she joined a protest outside the offices of marin county health fighting for a right to work. >> the thing is that we are not spreading covid. we have our mask on. >> reporter: but california's

covid-19 health guidelines see it another way. marin county public health officer dr. matt willis. >> the state's stay-at-home order is a response to this crisis. >> reporter: it's a problem we've heard before but one that bears repeating. hair stylists and salon owners have been out of work roughly five months this year, three separate times. >> i mean, why are we shut down again? it doesn't make any sense. >> we have families to take care of. i have three kids and a wife. i have to work and make money. >> you ask for patience from your landlord, from your creditors and bills to please be patient and -- >> reporter: gets old? >> yeah. you know, we're all behind. it's the holidays. >> reporter: stylists say they have been out of work for so long and suffered so much hardship some of them have little choice except to keep working in violation of the shutdown. >> we would rather be in our own salon doing hair instead of going rogue. >> we're better off long term. the economically and from a health perspective, if we take

proactive action earlier. >> save our salons! >> reporter: that cuts both ways. one a state trying to slow the spread of covid-19 and two, a close of workers just trying to survive. in marin county, wayne freedman, abc 7 news. >> and just getting this in out of sonoma county where a stay-at-home order will go into effect at the end of the day tomorrow. the county public health officer says due to rising case numbers and hospitalizations, it will join the other bay area counties already following stay-at-home orders. on the peninsula. >> on the peninsula the toys for tots campaign is still in need for help as they prepare to give toys to thousands of kids next weekend. we're pumped here excited to donate a thousand toys with the help of shop disney.com and the disney store. toys for tots donations are down this year due to covid-19. a lot of charities hit hard. the marines still need more than

5,000 toys to meet their goal of 14,000. >> you're able bodied and able to get toys, it will really make a person's christmas. >> so here is how you can help. you can drop off new unwrapped toys at the san mateo county event center. look for the toys for tots banner there and drop off toys at the island target store on monday, the marines will have a u-haul set up in the parking lot for that. a san francisco firefighter presented the san francisco marin food bank with a check for $10,000 today. lieutenant julie raised the money selling t-shirts and masks and came up with the idea in april after hearing about long lines in local food banks and received orders from all over including scotland. the shirts are $20 each and we put the order information online at abc7news.com. in the east bay, some holiday cheer for oakland unified school district families at the food grab and go

distribution event at garfield elementary today some people received school supplies and a christmas tree. the prelit trees are courtesy of lowes which donated $1 million worth of christmas trees in cities across the country. "time magazine" named lebron james its 2020 athlete of the year. on the cover is a painting done by a young bay area artist 14-year-old tyler gordon. james being recognized for his achievements both on and off the court. he led the lakers to a 17th championship this year and he's also one of the sports' leading voices speaking out against racial injustice and an organization to combat systemic racist voter suppression. what an honor. 14 years old and has work on the cover of "time magazine" very cool. speaking of time, spencer christian, it's time for some rain around here. >> it certainty is and you brought the topic up just in

time. rain is just around the corner. here is a look what is happening now. look at the sky from emeryville. it's 5 ma3 and mid 60s san josed morgan hill and 54 half moon bay looking down toward ocean beach or mt.tam and napa 60, 66 fairfield and concord and livermore also in the mid 60s, mid 60s are going to be disappearing tomorrow. here is the live view from the rooftop camera looking across the embarcadero. clouds will increase overnight and much cooler tomorrow with rain developing tomorrow night first in the north bay then more wide spread rain and sometimes steady or heavy rain will develop over the weekend and spread to other locations. overnight, this night, though, look for mostly clear start to the evening but then later tonight and during overnight hours we'll see clouds thicken,

high clouds, low clouds, mid level clouds and it will start to just -- it will continue getting cloudier during the day especially in the north bay tomorrow which is where the rain will arrive first tomorrow evening. tonight, as the clouds thicken, it will be chilly in the north bay valleys and other inland locations with low temperatures in the 30s. we'll see mainly low to mid 40s near the bay and coast and then tomorrow's highs will range from low and mid 50s at the coast where it will be kind of breezy to mid 50s and upper 50s everywhere else. probably won't see any 60 degree readings tomorrow. let's bring in the storm impact scale showing one on the storm impact scale that will begin with light rain tomorrow night in the north bay. saturday spreading to all areas as light rain and showers and on sunday, steadier rain and that will be more wide spread. we do not expect any flooding in the areas. here is the forecast animation at noon tomorrow. notice by late tomorrow night we'll see rain sweeping across the north bay and then by

saturday morning rain will be hitting all parts of the bay area, not very well organized or steady rain. steadier wave of rain will come in on sunday and that will hit the entire region. so it's going to be a wet weekend especially the ladder part of the week end. let's move onto the rainfall potential generally. a quarter of an inch but some locations could see half an inch. here is the accuweather seven-day forecast. on monday skies get clearer but still rather chilly start to the week monday and tuesday under brighter skies and high temperatures will barely reach 60 degrees inland. mid to upper 50s arounded bay shoreline and cloudier again and more rain approaches, we'll get a little milder. essentially, this is a more typical winter weather pattern we're happy to see it, kristen and larry? >> spencer, thank you. fighting fraud at the edd. coming up, the state lawmaker telling the governor to get his

than a holiday dinner table. gives you more options pick the speed that's right for you, with options faster than gig. and get reliable internet with top-notch coverage. plus, help keep your data safe and private with security included.

no antlers on the table. how come you get to eat first? get started with this great offer, or ask about our fastest speed, 2 gig up and down. switch today. twto treat acute, non-low back stmuscle and joint pain doctors with topical nsaids first. a formulation they recommend can be found in salonpas. a formulation they recommend can be found in salonpas. salonpas. it's good medicine.

hisamitsu. all right. it's time for consumerake michael pin kn-- michael finney and continuing news at the edd. >> more than half the state's work force filed for unemployment and still, the

state unemployment department is struggling. we've been talking about this for quite sometime at a press conference today fresno assemblyman jim patterson said newsom staff needs to take executive intervention over the agency's id me identification system. the system implemented this year is supposed to help the department verify and process claims faster, but patterson says the edd backlog has only grown. increasing home prices means increased home equity and a new report my core logic shows homeowners in the u.s. collectively gained $1 trillion in equity during the panpandemi. it's 10.8% that comes out to $17,000 per homeowner, however here in california, homeowners likely gained more. a lot more. analysts say the hot real estate market is due to a combination

of factors. a small supply of homes for sale and an increased desire for homeownership and rock bottom mortgage rates. a discrimination lawsuit by hiv aids patients is moving forward. according to court documents, five patients in the cases say cvs required they get their medications by mail or drop shipped. the plaintiffs say having them in the mail made it hard to consult with fapharmacists and jeopardized privacy. the lower court said the plaintiffs didn't properly establish a disability discrimination claim but an appeals court overturned that allowing the case to move forward. kristen, larry, this was a major set back, i don't know, about a year ago. we talked about it a lot then since covid everybody lost track. this is amazing movement forward. >> thank you, michael.

>> disney unveiled a galaxy worth of streaming offerings today. ten spin offs and a new, new willow series will debut on disney plus. this comes as disney plus hits an epic 86.8 million subscribers and "indiana jones" in 2022. disney is the parent company of abc 7. i think that's the news, larry, we all needed amid the pandemic. >> new stuff to watch. everyone is waiting for that. >> we've all had to adapt to covid changes but for some institutions geared towards ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

visit your volvo retailer for special offers during our holiday safely sales event. abundant wind and solar energy, we have the power to take on climate change. use less from 4 to 9 pm to keep california golden.

this week abc 7 is celebrating some of the bay area's most cherished institutions. destinations devoted to the arts, sciences and much more and all been hit really hard by covid-19. abc 7 news anchor dan ashley here with a look at how at least one is pivoting. hi, dan. >> hi, larry. so many institutions are facing daunting situations during the on going lockdown and pivoting but california academy of sciences in particular in san francisco's golden gate park is really adapting in a beg way. at the california academy of sciences, even the fiercest predators can't escape the impact of covid-19 and now after closing once again, just weeks after reopening to the public, you could say the academy is evolving. >> so science stops for no one. >> reporter: chief of science shannon bennett says the academy continued its ground breaking work away from public view.

in a kind of ocean incubator, research era beer rebeccacacacaa coaxed coral to grow. >> we will use the lessons for how they reproduce in captivity to help corals in the wild. >> reporter: potentially restoring habitat for the same variety of sea life that thrilled visitors to the aquarium. other covid inspired invasions were as much sipsychological fo the mccaws facing the same shelter in place isolation as the rest of us. >> they hung out with us at lunch sometimes in the garden and we visit places like the coral reef for the amazon tunnel. >> reporter: and taking breaks themself to entertain the penguins with organized yoga sessions. >> they got a much needed break, a little exercise and mindfulness practice and it actually turned out to be

stimulating for the penguins because there weren't people in front of their habitat, either. >> reporter: minus the field trips, that i are tlagoing agai like venom exploring the life sources that bite to the plantar are virtual making it available to thousands of kids that can't visit via streaming. >> we firmly believe in accessibility and diversity and inclusion in science so this is really allowed us to up the game. >> reporter: it will take up to two years to make up for the revenue they lost to covid but its mission is continuing with the generou support of donors contributing to the academy resilience fund keeping the animals and discovery alive and well for generations to come. great place. that's such a great place. if you'd like to learn more

about the academy resilience fund, we have information an abc7news.com/better bay area and click on state of the arts. kristen, can you imagine what those penguins must have been thinking watching people doing yoga in front of their exhibit? >> like we want to join in. you people are a little weird but it's very cool, dan. >> yeah. >> with the covid closures, the san francisco museum of modern art is going digital. joining me now is julie charles, director of education at s sf moma. great place. thank you for joining us today. >> thanks for having me. >> i know a lot of the museums have had to pivot because of covid-19. how did you do that? >> yeah, it's true. we've all had to really think about how we can, you know, serve our audiences in different kinds of ways and reach the communities differently. we've really been looking to both the digital spear of course and for my team, we've been thinking how to get hands on experiences to our community, as well. >> how do your hands on

experiences look? >> so there have been a couple ways. i keep saying kits are my life these days. we've been putting together art kits and we were really fortunate to be able to partner with the sf unified visual and performing arts department to get art kits into the hands of about 2,000 students in the pitch schools and the district and then we were really fortunate to partner with the cities department of children, youth and their families to get another 2500 kits into the hands of students who were enrolled in the community hubs. >> that is fantastic because art is absolutely critical to mental health and relaxation and kids need that so much more than ever right now. what about digital offerings? what do you have for schools and teachers and the public? >> and the public, of course. some of the resources that we put online for families and for students are just as much fun for adults of all ages orchi k d

kkid s of all ages. in october, one of the programs we launched is second sundays. it's gone virtual and involves a story time with our fabulous partners at the san francisco library and art making you can do at home. that's one of the things we've done but there are also fantastic interviews with artists from all around the globe that have been featured online on our website as well as our pod cast award winning podcast raw material and even exclusive online screenings. we're in the middle of one right now called no time to rest. >> what about holiday stuff? i mean, normally the museum does have holiday exhibits. what are you doing this year? >> one of the things that we've obviously been encouraging people to do is to think about gifting artfully. so the museum store is open online. we also have our artists --

sorry, our artist gallery at fort mason and this is important to me as i decided to give families artful gifts from local artists this year so their buying and lending programs are continuing and we even did a little tip on tips and tricks on making your own art folk gifts on our website. >> can't wait to check that out. we don't have a lot of time left but how can people support the museum right now? >> of course, you know, giving is important, becoming a member, renewing your membership and when we're open, please come and visit us and of course, shop. >> always a great place whether in person or virtually. thank you so much, appreciate it. >> thank you. the suggestion that might make you cringe. advice given to flight attendants to help prevent we made usaa insurance for members like martin. an air force veteran made of doing what's right,

not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right. usaa insurance is made just the way martin's family needs it with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. because doing right by our members, that's what's right. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. ♪ usaa for people with heart failure taking entresto, it may lead to a world of possibilities. entresto is a heart failure medicine prescribed by most cardiologists. it was proven superior at helping people stay alive and out of the hospital. heart failure can change the structure of your heart so it may not work as well. entresto helps improve your heart's ability to pump blood to the body. and with a healthier heart, there's no telling where life may take you.

don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto for heart failure. entrust your heart to entresto.

all right. time for the four at 4:00. governor newsom said on the program monday more people use it, the more effective it can be. here is how it works. if you opt in contact with someone that tested positive later for covid-19. officials say the app uses blue tooth wireless signals to detect

when phones are close to each other for s15 minutes and there is no tracking. has everyone opted in? it was easy on the iphone. i just did it. you, ama? >> did i get an alert i was supposed to? i didn't see anything. >> yeah, if you have an iphone, you go to settings and one of the options under settings. >> i have to go actively look for it. >> it will say exposure notification and click that and then you can choose the country and state you're in and then you enable it. pretty easy. >> good to know. it's one of those things where it will only work if a lot of people use it so i wonder if a lot of people will. >> yeah, spencer, what do you think? >> i will. i mean, i'm with ama, if a lot of people use it, it will befl e be effective. if few people choose to use it, it won't be as effective. i'll get the app, yeah. >> i have a feeling a lot of people are --

>> larry -- >> -- so disgusted with the state and the way this whole thing has been handled, i can see a lot of people saying you're not touching my data or phone. leave me alone, i don't want anything to do with you. >> i can see a lot of people being worried they really are being tracked, you know. they say they're not tracking but i think a lot of people would think so. >> scramble your phone signature all the time. there is no way. please, don't let it worry you, folks. >> all right. to another technology that's drawing some controversial reviews. "the washington post" reviewed amazon's new halo health band. they call it the most invasive tech they've ever tested. their issue is the gadget tells you everything that's wrong with you including if your tone of voice is over bearing or irritated. ama does that service for me for free. >> i do. >> the halo also collects a 360 degree body photo for analysis and gives you your body fat readout.

>> no, no. >> the halo is currently only available via invitation only on amazon. i don't know many people that want their body fat readout constantly. other than mr. 11% spencer christian. [ laughter ] >> yeah, but that was two months ago. i might have gained an ounce since then. >> an ounce. >> oh, my. >> i'm curious how accurate it is. you know the scales aren't actually accurate. there is a huge amount of degree where it could totally be off. i mean, it can track you over time like show a difference but i'm just wondering in general how accurate all that stuff really is. is it going to tell me i have some terminal disease when i really don't? i don't know. >> yeah. i don't know. is it ever going to tell me my voice is irritating? irritating? >> ama and i can tell you that. >> ah! >> i know. [ laughter ] >> not the word i would choose. >> no. a no -- >> you can't win, larry, you

just can't win. >> i know. >> a no proposal to help keep flight attendants safe from covid is raising eyebrows. transportation officials in china are suggesting flight crews wear disposable diapers to avoid using the bathroom reducing their risk of infection months after the airway tested a hands free laboratory door that used uv light to clean 99.9% of bathroom germs after every use. i don't know, spencer, make flight adttendants like astronauts, right? >> one more unpleasant image in my mind seeing the flight attendants wearing disposable diapers. oh well, if it helps, it helps. >> i see an issue with it. my issue is i mean, if you're on a long flight, you're going to

have to change the diaper at some point so how does it actually help if you still have to, you know, maintain it and all that sort of stuff? i don't know. a lot of questions there. >> good point. i mean, you're more familiar with this. you're closest to having been there. after a few hours you have to change it. >> if it's just an hour flight maybe but those long hauls would be weird. >> would you rather wear the halo device or the diaper? i don't know. [ laughter ] >> talk among yourselves. >> would you rather game. >> yeah. the people of minnesota, this is my favorite story of the day. they are being credited for a random act of kindness really needed these days. it started when a drive-through customer at this dairy queen picked up the tab for the person behind him. not to be out done, the customer repeated that gesture. others followed. more than 900 in fact. this chain lasted more than two and a half days. everybody paying it forward.

the restaurant's manager says the gestures like these happen from time to time but they usually fizzle out after 15 or 20 cars. she said it was touching to see the looks on the customers' faces when told their meal was paid for, especially now. how cool is that? for two and a half days? i'm blown away by that. >> i know. i think we tend to see it more this time of year and, you know, with 2020 the way it been, it especially heart warming. yeah. >> for sure. >> it is. >> kristen? >> that's a great way to describe it. really heart warming. i love the story. you're right. it's my favorite story of the day, too. >> i would just hate to be the person behind the car that decided to break the chain. [ laughter ] >> if that happens, you start a new chain. you start a new chain. that's great. >> the person with ten kids in the back of their mini van. >> right. >> oh, gee. >> all right. >> that's it for the four at 4:00. >> for the 4:00.

did we do that unisom in i have the power to lower my blood sugar and a1c. because i can still make my own insulin. and trulicity activates my body to release it like it's supposed to. trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. it's not insulin. and i only need to take it once a week. plus, it lowers the risk of cardiovascular events. trulicity isn't for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it,

you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, changes in vision, or diabetic retinopathy. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with sulfonylurea or insulin raises low blood sugar risk. side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, belly pain, and decreased appetite, which lead to dehydration and may worsen kidney problems. i have it within me to lower my a1c. ask your doctor about trulicity.

tonight is the first night of hanukkah and here in san francisco an annual tradition will look different this year due to covid. abc 7 news are yreporter melani woodro has a look at the changes. >> reporter: crowds of people traditionally filled san

francisco's union square for the lighting. this year however, father and son rabbis are asking people to stay home. >> that's what we're trying to persuade people to stay at home and make the party bigger at home with your family. >> it says that to save one life is like saving an entire world. >> reporter: it has been a fixture for decades. >> it's affection recalled the mama menorah because there is 15,000 public menorahs across the world. >> reporter: a symbol of light and hope for those celebrating at home. he says ambassadors of light are available to deliver a menorah to anyone's doorstep. >> this pandemic really caused us to dig deeper and further within ourselves to find that light, to find that positivity within us and within the world and uncover that and shine it bright. >> reporter: while this hanukkah will be unique, many are finding ways to incorporate tradition.

this bakery was buzzing as people picked up orders for traditional hanukkah jelly donuts. it will be streamed on facebook for those who wish to watch virtually. balancing between carrying on the celebration and keeping everyone safe. >> this is what the promise is that light will continue to shine no matter what the obstacle is. >> reporter: melanie woodro, abc 7 news. >> speaking of light shining, a new art instillation will light up golden gate park in honor of the 150th anniversary. park visitors will stroll through a whimsical wonderland of lights. the local artist created the enchanted forest installing some 2,000 led lights on sculptures of bushes and trees standing more than 20 feet tall. visitors will be able to enjoy the instillation located in peacock meadow through february. those like spencer christian are about to get some rain on top of

them pretty soon. >> that's right. >> they are, indeed, larry. we have some. tomorrow we'll see clouds increasing although the day will begin with bright skies, high temperatures reaching into the 50s inland tomorrow. as we move along, you can see why there is a storm coming our way that ranks one on the impact scale. it will start with light rain tomorrow night and light rain spreading to all areas on saturday and heavier rain on sunday. so here is a look at the seven-day forecast. wet weekend finally and wetter on sunday than saturday and the cooling that starts tomorrow, that pattern, the cooler pattern will go into early next week. don't expect high temperatures inland to get much above about 60 degrees over the next several days. kristen? >>spencer. >> the bay area shelter that's purrr-fect for cats. i would mess that one up.

new at 5:00, how artificial intelligence is deciding who gets a vaccine and when and plexiglass protection. you've seen this. a look at whether these barriers really help slow the spread of covid-19 and those chaotic moments on a bart platform that led to the death of oscar grant. grant's family asking new questions and demanding new answers. those stories and mor

- i'm szasz. [norm] and we live in columbia, missouri. we do consulting, but we also write. [szasz] we take care of ourselves constantly; it's important. we walk three to five times a week, a couple miles at a time. - we've both been taking prevagen for a little more than 11 years now. after about 30 days of taking it, we noticed clarity that we didn't notice before. - it's still helping me. i still notice a difference. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. there's a non-profit in

oakland that's helping cats find the perfect home. cat town is helping for those looking to adopt. >> the cats are free roaming and in a free space, the cats can show who they truly are and blossom and find loving homes. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> cat town is a non-profit animal welfare cat rescue organization. our mission is to help cats from the local shelter system that are most at risk of euthanasia, and so we do that by taking the cage out of equation. cats in a traditional shelter often react with fear to just the scary shelter environment. ♪ ♪ >> it's an opportunity to come into a relaxing, welcoming space

with creative art and structures, see some miniature oakland landmarks and just have a fun, relaxing time with cats and so, yeah, people generally really enjoy it. kids have fun here, too. lots of fun cats to play with. ♪ ♪ >> sort of the traditional rescue model, most organizations are helping a high volume of animals that are young, healthy, confident, you know, highly desirable pets. the cats that most really need help of an outside organization are the least like lly to get i because they're the cats hiding in the back of the kennel, hissing, reacting with fear or aggression. our main focus is to help those cats that are overlooked and because of that we've been reducing the rates by more than

70% sense 2011. ♪ ♪ >> it's just an open, welcoming place for the public. people -- there's no pressure here so people can come and just relax and have a good time with the cats or if they're interested in adoption, they can take as long as they need and get to know the cats in a more natural environment before they decide to adopt. ♪ ♪ >> there are really, really great, wonderful pets for adoption here at cat town or any of the other wonderful rescue or shelters in the area. so i definitely encourage people to adopt if they're looking for a pet. ♪ ♪ >> truly a unique place. because of the regional stay at

home order, you can't just go play with the cats and it is open for adoption and you can make done people were afraid i was contagious. i felt gross. it was kind of a shock after i started cosentyx. four years clear. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. learn more at cosentyx.com. we have the power to harness california's abundant solar and wind energy,

but it's not available all day long. use less energy from 4 to 9 pm for a cleaner california. only nature's bounty does. new immune twenty-four hour plus has longer lasting vitamin c. plus, herbal and other immune superstars. only from nature's bounty. ♪ ♪ you make my heart sing ♪ ♪ wild thing i... think i... you know what i think? i think you owe us $48.50... wild thing.

if you ride, you get it. geico motorcycle. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. next at 5:00, the country moves a big step closer to ending the pandemic. a key committee endorses pfizer's covid-19 vaccine. what happens now? plus the local company using artificial intelligence to figure out who gets the vaccine. for some, it could come down to their zip code. >> also ahead, the growing backlash to the lockdown. restaurants put away their chairs and tables as they run out of patience. plus, a different kind of s.o.s. salon owners and their frustration over trying to meet the governor's moments. >> building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc 7 news. and we begin with a pivotal moment in the fight against covid-19. this afternoon an fda advisory pa