good morning, america. breaking overnight. getting the green light. the fda's emergency use authorization for moderna's vaccine. an exclusive look at the mission to move nearly 6 million doses, the differences between the moderna and pfizer versions. as the u.s. breaks new weekly records for cases, hospitalizations and deaths. plus, why some vaccine distribution plans are coming under fire. stopgap spending bill. congress buying itself more time as lawmakers try to hammer out a covid relief package. what's in the latest version? the amounts for direct payments and unemployment benefits. laying blame. secretary of state pompeo naming who he says is responsible for that massive cyberattack. >> it was the russians.

>> why it may have been worse than originally feared. player's message. keyontae johnson whose frightening on-court collapse was caught on camera speaking directly to fans in a video message. >> me and my parents are very grateful for the prayers going out. >> the latest on the college basketball star's health scare that left the team shaken. and delivery delays? the avalanche of orders for the holiday rush, the warnings major shipping carriers are issuing to customers. will those presents make it in time? hey, good morning, and let's get straight to the breaking news. the fda has now added a second covid-19 vaccine to its arsenal by authorizing the emergency use of moderna's vaccine. >> the announcement coming at a critical time. the united states reported almost 250,000 cases yesterday.

a record high. the fall spike combining with the thanksgiving holiday surge leading to weekly record highs in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, the worst since the pandemic began. >> and the u.s. averaging more than 214,000 new cases every day. that's three times higher than the country's summer peak back in july. more on the devastating impact of the virus in just a moment, but first, let's go to gio benitez in olive branch, mississippi, with a look at how soon the moderna vaccine could be heading out. gio, good morning. >> reporter: whit, good morning. the plan right now is to start shipping this vaccine tomorrow. getting it to health care workers and nursing home residents by next week, nearly 6 million doses now on the way. this morning, the moderna vaccine is ready to ship from coast to coast. the fda giving it that emergency authorization friday night. >> this is another crucial step in the fight against a global pandemic that is causing vast

numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the united states. every day. this vaccine met the fda's rigorous standards for quality, safety and efficacy. >> reporter: moderna will use pharmaceutical distributor mckesson in mississippi to move 5.9 million doses of the vaccine across the country. abc news getting an exclusive look at mckesson's 300,000-square-foot facility where the vaccine will be stored at negative 4 degrees. and moderna has a slight shipping advantage because just over the border here in memphis is this, the fedex world hub, the largest cargo facility in north america where they can get those vaccines out right away. the moderna and pfizer vaccines are similar. they both use messenger rna technology to teach your cells how to protect your body. against covid-19. efficacy rates for both are more than 94%. but there are differences too. pfizer's requires ultra-cold refrigeration at negative 94 degrees making distribution more

challenging, while moderna's can be kept in a regular freezer. this difference allowing the moderna vaccine to be more accessible. >> that means a lot of parts of the country, especially nursing homes, rural areas, can now be reached with the moderna vaccine. >> reporter: the pfizer vaccine distributed across the country this week but now some questioning the process. >> health care heroes. >> reporter: in california, doctors at stanford medical center protesting the vaccine distribution plan at the hospital. >> we cannot be first in the room and back of the line. [ cheers ] >> reporter: they say residents and fellows who work directly with covid-19 patients are not being prioritized. they argue that out of the 5,000 injections available to stanford, only 7 will go to frontline residents, the hospital acknowledging there were flaws in the plan saying it's been revised. meanwhile, officials at advocate medical center in illinois have

temporarily paused vaccine administration after four team members experienced reactions to the vaccine. and another health care worker in alaska was hospitalized after a serious allergic reaction bringing the total there to five. and overnight, the fda saying those allergic reactions could be somewhat more common than they previously thought. they just don't know for sure. they say they'll be looking at this very closely as that moderna vaccine rolls out. >> doctors keeping a close eye on that. gio benitez, thank you so much. joining us is dr. ala stanford, a pediatric surgeon and, dr. stanford, good morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i want to dive right in. you've had covid-19, recovered from it but still got the pfizer vaccine. why did you decide it was still so important for you to go ahead and get the shot? >> the first reason was because i wanted to model by example and

as we're out in the community testing and so many people could say, dr. stanford, when you tell me it's okay to get the shot, i will roll up my sleeve. when you say it's safe, i'll get it. and even though i knew i had antibodies and we were going to follow the trend every month and then when i didn't have antibodies, perhaps take the vaccine then, it didn't work and that explanation didn't compute with the community and so i took the vaccine. >> so much of this riding on public confidence, the success of the vaccine, but did you feel any pain or side effects that we've heard about? >> so my arm was definitely sore. the next day i felt like the energy was zapped quite honestly from my body and it's interesting, 16 of our team members received the vaccine that day, and about 8 of us had that just exhausted and the other eight felt absolutely nothing, so -- >> i do want to ask you about something else that's really important here. health care workers and nursing

home residents are among the first to get the vaccine, but there is some considerable debate over who should be next between essential workers, seniors, those with compromised immune systems. where do you stand on that? >> so, i sit on the vaccine advisory committee for the city of philadelphia and we work closely with the cdc and i agree with you. it's a tough spot because it's those essential workers but it's also people with chronic health conditions, and in every city, that may actually be different. in philadelphia, a lot of our hospitalized folks are 45 to 54 and other regions it's 65 and up. so we really have to look at the data that is significant in your area to know how you should prioritize those. >> now, some people have talked about essential workers being part of the next phase and a lot of that having to do with equity in getting the vaccine to the communities hit the hardest, but

then on the other side of it, seniors, and people who are vulnerable, and some say that's the most likely way to reduce deaths and hospitalizations. how do you balance that out? >> you know, i agree. it's a tough conundrum, but we have to first know how many doses we're getting and right now we're still awaiting how many doses we're getting and then you look at the morbidity and the mortality rate and use the endpoint of deaths it's likely going to be seniors but there are a lot of folks that are working, employees in contact with the public every day that don't die but are not able to go back as productive members of society. they're still short of breath. they've been furloughed and things like that. those folks also need the vaccines that decrease transmission in their communities and workplace. >> dr. stanford, we appreciate your voice, an important voice on this issue. thank you for your time this morning. we appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. >> all right, eva, over to you.

this week has been america's deadliest since the pandemic began. c' ault is outside a new york city hospital with more on the surge that continues across the country and the strain that it's putting on the nation's hospitals. good morning, trevor. >> reporter: well, good morning, eva. this is the thanksgiving surge just as officials feared. over the past week, the u.s. recorded 1.5 million new coronavirus cases. this is a record increase in viral spread from what were already record high numbers and it's very possible the holiday season is just going to get worse from here. this morning, america closing out another alarming week of record high cases, hospitalizations and deaths. officials warning this is the thanksgiving surge and the remaining holidays could tip us over the edge. >> one hospital administrator conveyed to me in a zoom call if we see a similar spike after christmas, and these are his words, we will go under. >> reporter: right now, los angeles county is arguably the new epicenter of the virus with

1 in 80 people there infected. across california, a staggering 41,000 cases reported friday alone with icus nearly full statewide. >> icu capacity now down to 2.1% statewide. when it hits that 0% we'll be in that surge base. >> reporter: but with almost 150 americans testing positive every minute, the pandemic is raging nearly nationwide. the cdc saying by population, tennessee has the worst infection rate in the country. these testing lines in florida snaking through a massive parking lot with hours-long wait times. >> every death from here on in is just a total tragedy because it's entirely preventable. >> reporter: texas mother of four, jennifer mendoza, contracted the virus days after giving birth to baby mayra and lost her fight on her 34th birthday. >> her kids were everything to her. to her last moment she kept fighting for them.

>> reporter: 114,000 americans now fighting coronavirus in the hospital, the u.s. breaking its own record 12 days in a row. louisiana's hospitalizations at its highest level since the spring and in north carolina, this couple, married 61 years, died minutes apart holding hands in adjacent hospital beds. >> you always have thoughts about losing a parent, you know, you dread that day and then here we are. we lost both of them. >> reporter: the virus is now killing more americans than ever before. 18,000 in the past week. >> it's a killing machine is what it is. if it finds the right victim. >> reporter: the family of dallas native billy laredo mourning his passing, the 45-year-old had been intubated in the hospital unable to speak. he wrote a note to his wife sonia from what would become his deathbed. >> we had our time and it was wonderful. i love you and i miss you very much and i will keep fighting. love, billy. i think he was trying to give me

permission to be happy without him. >> reporter: now there are some states seeing positive developments and rolling back some of their restrictions. rhode island businesses that have been closed for three weeks can go to 50% capacity on monday. and michigan is allowing some high schools and entertainment venues to re-open. dan. >> trevor, thank you. let's turn now to the politics of this pandemic. overnight, congress temporarily staved off a government shutdown by passing a short-term spending bill that gives them two more days to negotiate an economic relief package for people impacted by the pandemic. the well-being of millions of americans hang in the balance here. so let's go to abc's rachel scott who is right there in washington, d.c., covering this. rachel, good morning to you. >> reporter: dan, good morning. it was down to the wire. congress averting that government shutdown but this is just a quick fix. it simply buys lawmakers the weekend to try and hash out details on a coronavirus stimulus package before aid runs

out for millions of americans at the end of the year. with just hours before a government shutdown, congress scrambling to fund the government for two more days. the bill landing on the president's desk before the midnight deadline. but the fight on capitol hill is far from over. >> we cannot turn our backs on this suffering. >> i voted for the $2.2 trillion c.a.r.e.s. act but i also am concerned about our children's future. >> reporter: that measure only a temporary fix giving them another 48 hours to try to finalize a covid relief package. earlier in the day, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell signaled a deal was close. >> bipartisan bicameral framework for a major rescue is very close at hand. >> reporter: but optimism has quickly faded. >> what's going on in washington is at its -- >> reporter: they're still at odds over a

roughly $900 billion relief package that includes $600 in direct payments for millions of americans, plus $300 weekly federal unemployment benefits. congressman jim clyburn telling me lawmakers are determined to get a deal done. what is the holdup and will that relief get to americans who desperately need it? >> we are not going home until we pass some legislation that would give relief to the american people. that, i know. >> reporter: but as talks drag on, struggling americans are waiting for help. >> i can't shut down this weekend because i have rent to pay, i have to pay my employees. >> i go from a double-income household to single income. my mom isn't working. i'm the only one working because my mom have to stay home with my daughter for online schooling. >> reporter: another 885,000 people filed for unemployment just last week. across the country lines at food banks stretching for miles. >> we can always buy fruits and vegetables to supplement it, but meat is expensive. with two kids at home it is really important to have this food. >> reporter: time is running out. congress now working through the weekend to try and reach a deal.

it comes as leaders on both sides of the aisle are trying to build confidence around the vaccine. over the last 24 hours we've seen vice president mike pence, speaker of the house nancy pelosi and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell all received their vaccinations. president-elect joe biden is scheduled to receive his on monday. whit. >> so many millions of americans desperate for that relief. rachel scott, thank you so much. now to the cyberattack on the u.s. government. authorities saying the suspected russian hack is much worse than first thought. microsoft's president sharing how widespread the attack is and how the company is helping to respond to it. abc's faith abubey has more. >> reporter: this morning, a massive cyberattack on the u.s. may have been worse than originally feared. impacting virtually every part of america's infrastructure. >> this is as destructive and broad scale an engagement with our military systems, our intelligence systems as has happened in my lifetime. >> reporter: lawmakers now comparing the hack to everything from a virtual invasion to pearl

harbor. >> it certainly is unnerving. >> reporter: microsoft which is helping investigate says roughly 18,000 government and private institutions are affected. more than 40 now identified. 80% of them in the u.s. and some in critical areas of the u.s. government. but microsoft adds there are, quote, no indications that our systems were used to attack others. >> this was a very significant effort and i think it is the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the russians. >> reporter: russia suspected of being behind the attack denied any involvement. the hackers penetrating homeland security and the energy department, an agency that oversees the nation's nuclear weapons according to cybersecurity experts. >> it was both extraordinarily sophisticated and extremely broad, because what the attacker did was put malware into the legitimate software of a network management company and then when

that company distributed updates it literally went to 18,000 or so customers all around the world. >> reporter: in the u.s. sources telling abc news the hackers might have accessed emails of government officials that went undetected for six months. >> we have to assume the worst. this was a major intelligence operation. this wasn't a fly by night rogue hacker that did this. this was a determined enemy. >> reporter: and, guys, even more stunning, microsoft says it's assuming that this massive cyberattack is still ongoing even as experts work to patch it up. dan. >> still trying to get our arms around the size of the damage here. faith, thank you so much. time now for the weather. rob marciano is tracking some bitter cold temperatures, especially in the northeast. rob, good morning. >> hey, good morning. hope you enjoyed the snow. it's still around because of the cold air and we're still having impacts because of the heavy snow that we saw in central new york. this is binghamton. they got 40 inches. this is what used to be an inflatable sports dome. it collapsed.

40 inches took it down quickly and then a gentleman in oswego got stuck in his car, plowed in, and was stuck there for ten hours later rescued. brought to the hospital. he is okay but what a scary situation that is. medford, massachusetts, a woman injured under this awning yesterday from the weight of the heavy snow there just outside of boston. they had almost a foot of snow there and obviously it's sticking around. we have some black ice concerns today. cold air remains, it will warm up a l good saturday morning, gorgeous view from santa cruz. it is a cold start, though, when we have a dense fog advisory by the delta. sunny and mild weekend, winter arrives on monday, we're going to stay dry for most of the week but not the entire week. 61 in oakland today, look for 59 in fremont as well as palo alto, and richmond the accuweather seven-day forecast, we are dry through christmas eve, perhaps rain christmas day. tl

i saw everybody's kids out playing in the snow. it's going to try to stick around at christmas but we have another system coming that may melt some of it. more on that in a little bit. >> i'm looking forward to the melting snow, because i had to dig my car out twice. >> it's all part of the experience. >> exactly. >> the not fun part. >> just blame rob. >> thanks, rob. well, tiger woods is continuing a family golf legacy teaming up -- this is such great video -- with his 11-year-old son for this weekend's pnc championship. abc's david wright takes a look at the father/son duo in action. >> reporter: this morning, like father, like son, tiger woods and son charlie teeing off at this weekend's pnc championship in florida. >> the pnc championship allows dads and sons to play together and for the first time ever you've got tiger woods playing with his 11-year-old son charlie. >> reporter: at age 11 young

charlie woods is exactly the same age his dad was when he first beat his own father. >> it's just so cool for me to see him enjoying the sport and feeling the shots and hitting it, you know, as solidly as he's doing it now. >> there it is, a win for the ages. >> reporter: tiger woods, of course, went on to become one of the greatest golfers of all time. dominating the game in his youth, later coming back in middle age to dominate it again. when tiger woods won the masters in 2019, his comeback, the first person he hugged was charlie. >> my dad never pushed me to play golf or run track or cross country. any of those things. it was about spending those moments. >> reporter: family legacy passed down from father to son. >> the whole idea is the bonding that we have and i spent so much time with my dad on the old back nine that -- and just having

those moments and it's an opportunity for us to come together and to share great moments like this. >> reporter: david wright, abc news. >> what a special moment for the two of them. you were pointing out their swings. >> literally they walk the same, they swing the same. i mean, those are some good golfing genetics happening. >> no pressure when tiger is your dad either. i think he'll be just fine. >> he's already better than us. >> exactly. college basketball star keyontae johnson speaking publicly for the first time a week after this terrifying collapse on the court. his emotional message to fans and supporters. plus, an abc news exclusive. a behind-the-scenes look as the people from cvs make their first nursing home visit to vaccinate residents. and warnings about potential shipping delays. will your holiday gifts make it on time? we'll be right back with much more on that. "good morning america" is sponsored by home instead. to us, it's personal.

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we take care of our guests whether they're two legged or four legged. you know to me the holidays mean faith, family and friends. >> sharing smiles and sharing love with everyone around you. >> and sharing cookies. got to have those cookies. >> from our "gma" family, happy, happy holidays filled with love and tell them, michael. >> cookies! e and tell them, michael. >> cookies! managing type 2 diabetes? you're on it. you may think you're doing all you can to manage type 2 diabetes and heart disease... but could your medication do more to lower your heart risk? jardiance can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so, it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and it lowers a1c. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast or urinary tract infections, and sudden kidney problems.

ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. a rare, but life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection, ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction and don't take it if you're on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. lower a1c and lower risk of a fatal heart attack? on it with jardiance. we are committed to making jardiance available and affordable. with our savings card, eligible patients pay as little as $0. building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. good morning, everybody, i'm liz kreutz, happening today frondline health care workers at el camino hospital and mountain view will be vaccinated later this morning. it has received 975 doses of pfizer's covid-19 vaccine,

employees from its mountain view and los gatos campuses vaccinated today. medical workers today after 3,900 doses of the pfizer vaccine were delivered friday. let's get a check of the weather with meteorologist lisa argen. hey, lisa. >> hi, liz, good morning to you. here's the view from san jose where we have a few high cirrus clouds and temperatures, boy, are on the chilly side, talking some 30s out there. in fact, we saw a 29 in santa rosa. 40 in san sunny, near 60 today. >> lisa, thank you, thanks for joining us, the news continues right now with good morning america.

it's the return of the -- >> love that. welcome back to "gma." on this saturday morning. coming up in "pop news," the rapper who is dropping an early christmas gift while paying tribute to his hometown, janai has that and more coming up in our second hour. >> that looks like chance? do i have that right? >> the rapper. chance the rapper. yes, you just call him chance. >> well, we're like this. >> me and chance, yeah. let's take a look at some of the other big stories we're following this morning. happening right now, breaking news overnight, the fda authorizing the emergency use of moderna's covid-19 vaccine. the agency calling the authorization of a second coronavirus vaccine a crucial step in the fight against the global pandemic. this as the u.s. continues to break weekly records in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. december looking like it could be our deadliest month so far of

the pandemic. also right now, the associated press is reporting that nato and afghan officials say five rockets were fired at the u.s. air base in bagram airfield overnight, officials reporting that nobody got hurt and there seems to be no damage to the base. they say police found 12 rockets in a vehicle and were able to defuse seven of them. >> and remember honor and teach. that is the message on this national wreaths across america day today. wreath-laying ceremonies also will take place at arlington national ceremony as well as 2500 additional locations in all 50 u.s. states. at sea and abroad to honor the men and women who have served our country. more than 260,000 wreaths will be laid. and we start this half hour with college basketball star keyontae johnson reassuring fans about his health after that frightening collapse on the court a week ago. johnson delivering a message on social media.

>> hey, everybody, first and foremost, i would like to thank god. >> reporter: just one week after this terrifying collapse on the court, college basketball star keyontae johnson made his first public statement posting this video message on twitter overnight, tweeting, write your own story. god said my work ain't done. >> i know y'all been sending prayers out the last few weeks and me and my parents are very grateful. >> reporter: the university of florida star forward is expected to become a first round nba draft pick and is the s.e.c.'s preseason player of the year. >> that was beautiful. >> reporter: but last week his teammates were left visibly shaken, some in tears, praying together as johnson was taken away in a stretcher collapsing face first into the hardwood and placed in a medically induced coma. still the question remains over the cause of johnson's collapse. this summer he and most of his teammates tested positive for covid-19. health officials say the most common long-term symptoms of

covid are fatigue, shortness of breath, cough and joint and chest pain. and some coaches throughout the ncaa are concerned. >> if it has something to do with covid i would say every coach in the country would like to know if it did. >> reporter: still observers say to blame coronavirus is premature. >> i would say everyone should be very cautious in this situation about making that connection. i think it's an easy thing to do in the sports world in a situation like this. >> reporter: for now, johnson appears happy and healthy doing that famous gator chomp. >> go, gators. >> oh, yeah. well, uf canceling and postponing several games after that scary collapse, and they're supposed to hit the court on december 30th. he has gotten a lot of love on social media and a lot of people cheering for him as he recovers. dan, i wore my blue because you know i went to florida. >> the gator chop. don't hurt your shoulders there.

we'll turn now to you to the front lines of one area of american life most devastated by this virus, nursing homes. cvs and walgreens have now started delivering shots to the people and staff who live and work there. they will be among the first americans to get vaccinated and janai got an exclusive look, janai, good morning to you. >> hey, good morning, yeah, 38% of the country's covid deaths are linked to long-term care facilities. so walgreens and cvs officials say they've been planning this vaccine campaign for months and we got a look at how they're doing it. this morning, the effort under way to protect some of the most vulnerable. a cvs pharmacist taking us behind the scenes showing us that box filled with 975 doses of pfizer's life-saving vaccine. now making their way to nursing homes and long-term care facilities. >> so this is the temperature-regulated thermal shipper. this utilizes dry ice to keep it in the optimal temperature rank. we will be receiving a batch of dry ice to keep this in the optimal temperature range this morning. >> reporter: the temperature monitored every step of the way.

>> so this box comes directly from pfizer. when they get it, they open it up and press a button. as a high-tech way to say, we received it. they will take a tray of vials that they need and they will put it in a fridge to thaw for three hours. it can stay up to five days but it will be need to be between 35 and 40 degrees and then they'll take it out and put in one of these temperature-controlled bags where they take it to a long-term care facility. those in charge of transporting it combined with extra security measures. in case anything goes wrong. >> we have direct access to the call command center. if it's an extreme emergency we have access to call 911. >> reporter: after a short drive, those vials arriving at the reservoir long-term care facility in hartford, connecticut. staff and residents ready to get vaccinated. 95-year-old jean peters was one of them. >> i feel fine. i'm good but i'm a little taken

back by all this excitement. to be honest. >> reporter: more than 100,000 covid-related deaths are linked to nursing homes nationwide. facilities banning visitors to help control the spread. and like so many others in long-term care facilities, jean has been separated from her family. we spoke with her about getting that shot of protection just hours before going home. how do you feel? >> i do feel better. i'm glad i have the shot. for my husband, i want him to get the shot as soon as possible. >> reporter: so jean will head back to that facility for a second shot in just a few weeks and those are some of the logistics that cvs and walgreens have to work out. as they try to get all staff vaccinated. following up on that second dose. but cvs officials say they're already planning ahead on how they'll provide vaccinations to the general public hopefully by next spring, guys. >> such an operation and so critically important. all right, janai, thank you so much. we do want to turn now to the weather. rob marciano watching the weather for us and we're still

cleaning up from the last big storm. what's on the horizon? >> might see a few more flakes fly tomorrow in the snow zone. a couple of weak systems, this one heading across the great lakes. not going to add accumulation. the one coming into the pacific northwest, a big rain event for portland and seattle. snow at the higher levels but a warm event with this and could see some flooding, debris flow, that sort of thing. once that goes through, another one behind it, comes in on monday, that's got some legs to it and will get across the country. thunderstorms in new orleans. rain to snow in chicago and this storm moves all the way to the east coast by the time we get to christmas eve, excuse me, santa, the sleigh, the reindeer will have to navigate stuff here, likely rain along the coast and snow on the back side because that's where the cold air is. it squeezes out the mild air and we'll see temperatures christmas good saturday morning, nice bright view here from our exploratorium camera, it's a cold start by by 9:00 we still have a few clouds around,

numbers in the 40s, upper 50s coast side, low 60s inland >> this weather report has been sponsored by blue buffalo. all right, you ready for some football? it's a huge weekend for college football. the acc championship kicks off this afternoon right here on abc and espn. 4:00 eastern. highly anticipated match-up between clemson and notre dame. potentially a preview of the national championship, of national championship, of course alabama will have something to say about that. go irish, clemson tigers. i don't know. >> i'm clearing for clemson for my home state. >> of course, you are. >> dan has the tofu brats ready to go for the -- >> i love the acc when they play the ufc, it's like amazing. >> into the octagon they go. >> and fade to black. >> i like how you combine sports. >> i love it. >> rob, thank you so much. coming up on "good morning america," will santa's gifts arrive on time? the mounting shipping delays that you really need to know

about. and then some creative ideas on how to celebrate the holidays safely especially with kids, keep it here for that. (beneful mom) louie stop. sorry. (buff mom) it's fine. blue does have pretty good ingredients. sholidays safely especially with kid, keep it here for that. holidays safely especially with kid, keep it here for that. (beneful mom) huh. (buff mom) why, what's in beneful? (beneful mom) chicken. whole grain corn. barley. whole grain wheat. soybean meal. but blue costs a lot more. (buff mom) not really. i've fed beneful. blue's less than 45 cents more a day. (beneful mom) ok louie...we'll switch to blue! even fast delivery on the perfect last minute gift from your walmart store. really fast. really perfect. let's end the year nailing it. ♪ ♪ but come ye back when su-- mom, dad. why's jamie here? it's sunday.

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welcome back to "gma." welcome back to "gma." winter storms, vaccine deliveries and record online shopping all combining to make it an especially challenging

year for the postal service and shipping companies struggling to meet the christmas deadline. abc's elwyn lopez joins us from decatur, georgia, with that story and how you can still be successful in delivering those gifts. elwyn, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, whit. trucks like the ones behind me already rolling out this morning trying to get those holiday gifts to millions across the country, just six days before christmas. this morning, millions of americans are hitting the refresh button. checking in on those holiday packages and whether or not they will make it in time for christmas. >> this one item that is coming by u.s. postal service is just a nightmare trying to get it. >> reporter: this year, the u.s. posttall service and shipping companies already facing an avalanche of orders. >> as soon as the pandemic hit, you know, e-commerce volumes began to flood the network for all the parcel carriers.

>> reporter: add to that the seasonal holiday rush to get billions of packages delivered. and a storm burying some parts of if the east coast with more than three feet of snow. >> i've worked with people who had things sitting at a post office since october, november. >> reporter: major shipping carriers now issuing warnings to its customers. >> she said i can guarantee it's not going to get there in two days. >> reporter: fedex says all of these events may cause delivery delays. the u.s. postal service tells us, a historic record of holiday volume compounded by a temporary employee shortage due to the covid-19 pandemic is leading to temporary delays. the usps also facing challenges with air lifts and trucking for moving this historic volume of mail. >> historically you may have gotten them in four days. we've seen that increase to eight days over the last couple of weeks. >> reporter: some worry packages may not make it for christmas. >> my mom ordered a bunch of stuff for christmas and some of

the stuff that she got hasn't showed up yet. >> reporter: shipping carriers say they're doing everything they can to minimize delays and we also reached out to u.p.s. but have not received a comment yet. if you're like me and do your holiday shopping last minute experts say try shopping locally and they to use curbside pickup if you can, eva. >> all right, elwyn lopez, i'll thank you so much. fun ways for your kids to celebrate the holidays safely ahead in our "weekend download." ♪ 'tis the season to be jolly ahead in our "weekend download." ♪ 'tis the season to be jolly ♪ 'tis the season to be jolly hey, rita! you now earn 3% on dining, including takeout! bon appetit. hey kim, you now earn 5% on travel purchased through chase! way ahead of you! hey, neal! you can earn 3% at drugstores. buddy, i'm right here. why are you yelling? because that's what i do! you're always earning with 5% cash back on travel purchased through chase, 3% at drugstores, 3% on dining including takeout, and 1.5% on everything else you buy.

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to celebrate safely especially if you have kids. let's get some creative ideas now from our parenting expert ericka souter. good morning. so -- >> good morning, ericka. >> it's great to be in the room to see the reaction when people open up their gives. is there a way to actually make that happen in some safe way this year? >> yeah, there are some really great ideas out there on the web this year. you want to consider a virtual white elephant gift exchange. one that works a lot like in real life. get a bunch of people together and they each contribute a gift from hundreds of selections and swap, steal, exchange. there's even an element to virtually let you open it and get a little surprise. it's really fun. a great way to still have that party feeling without being in person. there's also ways to do more grown-up parties. virtual wine tasting and all the participants are sent boxes of wine that they're going to

sample and then you're paired with someone who walks you that -- through what you're enjoying and still celebrating together. >> did you say boxed wine? eva loves boxed wine. so let's talk about santa. how do we arrange a safe encounter with santa for the kids? >> there are lots of virtual santa visits that you can sign up for. my kids personally love the messenger kids santa experience where they actually get text messages from santa. it's really just the parent communicating with the kids but they ask like, hey, have you been good this year? i know you have been naughty or nice, so it gets the kids excited. it's an ongoing experience and it's fun. the kids can also send friends and santa little selfies with santa hats and other incredible

effects and it's a really fun way to get your kids excited about the holiday even though it's not what they are used to having. >> we've been using that elf on the shelf to get good behavior out of our son. next is mensch on the bench. hey, ericka, thank you so much for being with us on a saturday morning. really appreciate it and everybody we will and right back after the break with our "play of the day." ♪ of the day." ♪ and in the places, you'd never expect. a little sign of hope. the feeling of freedom. and once these little moments start adding up, that's when it feels like so much more. it feels like real progress. caplyta effectively treats adults with schizophrenia. and it's just one pill, once a day, with no titration. caplyta can cause serious side effects. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about fever, stiff muscles or confusion, which can mean a life-threatening reaction

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the force to get this crew out of the deep freeze. also, guys -- >> we could all use some of that. >> "mandalorian," baby yoda. >> was. >> whoa. >> season finale. >> no spoilers but it was really good. "gma" is now two hours on saturday. coming up, the alarming new covid-19 numbers as the fda gives the green light to a new vaccine from moderna. e from moderna. >> announcer: next week it's all holiday fun with 12 days of -- >> cookies. plus, the ultimate christmas good morning, everybody, i'm liz kreutz, this morning veterinarians will perform on exam on a sea lion rescued after being stuck under a san francisco police boat. volunteers with the marine mammal center used annette to pull the 200 pound sea lion onto the docks and slowly shuttled it into a crate. the sea lion has been named

frosty, first reported under the police rescue boat on wednesday, volunteers say it appeared sick and le chargic and then frosty was taken to the marine mammal center in sausalito. we're showing you this holiday drive-through video instead. a neighborhood in san jose is lit up for the holidays and south san jose attracting big crowds safely from all around town. it's a tradition on sunset glen drive that started 25 years ago, the display has grown every year, now with lights, criss-crossing the street and a live deejay playing christmas music. happening today, a christmas tree giveaway for people living in the bay view or hunters point area of san francisco. for the last five years the sf guardsmen and their partners have sold christmas trees to raise money for at risk youth, the leftovers given away to those who can't afford a tree of their own. these christmas trees will be given away at the intersection of cargo and jennings street starting at 1:00 p.m. and let's get a check of the weather now with meteorologist

lisa argen. hey, lisa. >> liz, good morning to you. it's been a cold start out there, i've heard from some of you, 29 up in santa rosa last hour, golden gate bridge, nice and sunny. 35 in mountain view. freezing in morgan hill and from santa cruz in the low 40s right now, high clouds, 34 in novato, 29 up in santa rosa. 35 in liver mother, we have fog around walnut creek, dense fog on the delta, changing seven day coming up. >> lisa, thank you. up next disappointment and frustration from many parents, public schools in san francisco won't be reopening anytime soon. operation warp speed given an update on vaccine distribution, why officials are skriezing to governors. abc 7 news at 8:00 is next.

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. building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. why can't we get these schools ready to get open as soon as possible? >> anger and frustration, san francisco public school students will not be returning to classrooms in late january as originally planned. good morning, again, everybody, it is saturday, december 19th, i'm liz kreutz. we are joining you right now instead of good morning america because we are bringing you clenl football at 9:00 a.m. more on the delay for reopening public schools in the city and the latest on th