i rode on one in europe. an unusual friendship you have to see to believe. a dog helping a russian bear cub. the two have competitive friendship, you could say. they fight like siblings but romi is a 4-year-old alaskan and the cub was found in a weak condition earlier this year and a siberian zoo worker nursed her back to health. they're still hoping to release that bear back into the wild. all the play really helped. i would imagine. they might be best buds and might not want to separate them. one of those movies that you see. >> absolutely. right now at 6:00, fda leaders are meeting to give pfizer's covid vaccine the green light. up next, when a vote should happen and what is next if it is approved. approval can't come fast enough. this morning, a major bay area

school district tells students and teachers returning to classes looking less likely as the cases climb dramatically. and the struggle to reopen and the frustrations ahead in a live report for you. the third hour of "today in the bay" starts right now. and a good thursday morning to you. friday eve as we like to call it around here. i'm marcus washington. >> and i'm laura garcia. we'll check that morning commute with mike in just a little bit, but look who's here, vianey in for kari this morning. >> hey, hey, good morning, guys. i think i've got a good forecast for those who have been wondering where is the rain we certainly need it. i hope you didn't wash your car this week because it is going to make its arrival. let's start out with a beautiful view over san jose. 45 degrees right now. so it is definitely chilly and we'll notice an increase in cloud cover heading in towards the afternoon. so, let's take a look at fairfax where it's already dipping down into the 30s and closer look at what we're monitoring. rain chances ahead. full forecast in just a few

minutes. mike, how is the road? >> great. and i didn't wash any cars this weekend. now i have an excuse, thank you, vianey. to the bay bridge where we oftentimes see the bay bridge in effect and no metering lights. the map shows you a little slowing on the incline and brake tapping approaching the toll plaza and crash in oakland around high street on the southbound side may slow you on the nimitz and no major concern. the crash in san jose may cause a disruption around mckie. i'll track that. 6:02 right now and perhaps a day for the history books as we've been mentioning all morning. looking forward to for weeks. today the fda is expected to give pfizer's covid-19 vaccine the go ahead. >> "today in the bay" tracie potts live in washington and, tracie, every corner of the country watching the fda closely today. >> the country and the world because it's been approved in

other places. but now the u.s. is going to start making its decision today. those 15 medical experts pouring over the pfizer data. how effective is this vaccine? how safe is it? how will it be used? that's what they're looking at as that meeting gets under way. it is expected to last all day long and when they make a decision, the fda if they approve it, which they expect to, that's when they will start rolling out this vaccine over the weekend and into early next week. pfizer says they've got security to make sure that medicine gets where it is supposed to be. >> this very small but very powerful chip is on every vaccine package and it tells us gps exact location. >> we will have enough todoses r any american that wants a vaccine by the end of the second quarter of 2021.

>> and that can't come fast enough because we are seeing records broken every single day. yesterday more than 3,000 people died nationwide. that's a new record. in california, a third straight day of 30,000 cases. >> tracie, i know we have been talking about the front line workers some of the first to get the vaccine and also those in the military also going to be on the front lines of getting that vaccine. >> right, marcus. that makes sense because it's a military that is overseeing the distribution in the bay area coast guard island and alameda which selected one of two areas in california. the others are in san diego county and the criteria for the military getting that vaccine first, they had to have an area where they could deal with the cold storage for this vaccine. they had to have at least 1,000 priority people including in some cases, the billions in family members getting the vaccine and they had to make

sure they had enough medical personnel to get it done. >> they had a lot of work to do. tracie, thank you for that update. santa clara county is gearing up for its first delivery of the moderna vaccine. the county says it expects nearly 40,000 doses of it later this month. that delivery is pending moderna's fda approval. a hearing is scheduled for a week from today. now santa clara county also expecting nearly 18,000 doses of pfizer's vaccine. that is a total of 57,000 doses. this is by the end of the month. all earmarked for health care workers and long-term care facilities. well new this morning, san jose union schools are putting the brakes on in-person learning. a letter is going out to parents. meanwhile, a lot of other parents are still wondering when classrooms will ever reopen. today in the bay sharon kutsuda explains why so much of this depends on location. >> that's right, laura. all these districts are handling

this differently. here at the high school district, fall sports that was once postponed has been postponed, again. it was supposed to start this past week and then the district is saying that the schools will not reopen for in-person learning for all students until the county is back in the red tier. in oakland last night, teachers protested at the district meeting demanding the classrooms remain closed. the district had plans to reopen next month. the district says it will reopen when the covid numbers come down and will ensure safety measures are in place for staff and students. the school district sent a letter to parents saying the district will now wait to reopen for in-person learning until county numbers there are in the orange or yellow tier. the san francisco unified school district says it has asked the county the health department to approve the plan to reopen for in-person learning with the phased in approach including 72 elementary schools. and a group of berkeley parents say they're fed up with their kids remote learning. they're calling on health

officials to reopen the city's schools. the parents gathered at mlk park in berkeley for a socially distanced protest. they say remote learning does not work for all families and they argue all that screen time takes a toll on kids' development. the parents are calling on the district to come up with a plan for reopening that goes beyond the currently proposed four hours a week for elementary schools. and at the state level, there's now a push for a bill that would require all public school students to be back in person learning by spring. but, of course, that all depends on the covid numbers this winter. reporting live in contra costa county, i'm sharon katsuda. >> thank you. a follow up this morning. the latest statewide covid restrictions are adding fuel to the fire. at least when it comes to an ongoing effort to recall governor newsom. the effort launched back in june certainly not the first time that opponents have tried to oust the governor but recent frustrations with closures and some questionable decisions by the governor have really drawn

more anger from kconservatives. the new political report suggesting that if the current recall effort gets real financial backing it may turn into a threat next year. new details this morning on a fuel leak causing big concern in walnut creek. the energy company kinder morgan confirms to nbc bay area its crews are cleaning thousands of gallons of gasoline that migrated down a canal along the iron horse trail to an area near ignacio valley boulevard. before it was discovered last week. the gas from a source near a deadly pipeline explosion in 2004. in that accident four construction workers died. investigators later determined that kinder morgan had not clearly labelled the line and the company was convicted on six felony charges. kinder morgan said the current leak happened when tree roots breached part of the line and it is now repaired. the spill cleanup could take weeks. all right. it is 6:08.

when we talk about it, look at the playground. of course, a lot of kids being home schooled they want to get out and enjoy it. >> listen to this, though. a lot of relief when it comes to playing on the playground finally. as a parent, my kids want to go out there and finally california allowing playgrounds to reopen after closing them as part of the latest regional shelter-at-home experts. health experts say little evidence of widespread. i took my kids on a bike ride yesterday and that was one of the first things they asked. can we stop at the playground? is it okay now? it's important for kids to get oo out and about. >> getting healthy and moving and vianey, the weather has been cooperating with outside play. >> it has. and it will be for today and the majority of tomorrow. so definitely get them out there working out today. you know, burning off some of that energy before the rain

moves in because today's forecast is expected to start out sunny and then notice an increase in cloud cover. you may want to have them bundle up in a light sweater because the temperatures will only top out in the upper 60s for the area interior valley areas like concord 65 by around 1:00. depending on where you are, it might feel chillier in some spots, including san francisco with temps in the 50s. so, speaking of what we're monitoring, we're also looking at wind advisory. if you live in the north bay mountain, coastal area, it's definitely going to get gustier as we head towards the afternoon. the full forecast on that. >> incoming rain in a few minutes. let's check in with mike. >> yeah, vianey, i'll watch those cameras when the rain comes in but right now dry roadways are focusing on oakland. the camera by the caoliseum loos just fine. the southbound side of the nimitz freeway approaching and that is where we have slow down and crash blocks one lane. been there for a while but the build up just now really forming

in earnest getting away from the bay bridge and away from the bay bridge westbound a little slowing on the incline and the decline but no metering lights and no backup yet. we'll watch for those brakes to tap. so far very light drive, though, in the area. a smooth flow and that crash north 101 at mckeon san jose did clear to the shoulder without any significant impact. good news. palo alto looks great. back to you. >> thank you, mike. well, since most of us are staying home probably watching a lot of tv, coming up, why not to updwr upgrade your television just yet to this monster. what do you think? how big this flat screen is and whether it will hit stores before super bowl. you better have a big wall. plus. >> ipo pulalooza continues in silicon valley. a lot of people can probably afford that television. take you out to the futures. we do expect some money to come off the table both in the tech stocks and in the overall markets, as well. well, scott, i don't want

you to answer just yet. but what to you want for christmas? the gifts that are trending for everyone and this is one of those only in 2020 stories that you don't want to miss right here on "today in the bay." we'll be right back. 6:12 for you this morning.

and it is 6:14 right now. 45 degrees in san jose and we're

in the 30s in the north bay. we're talking about changes including rain and wind coming up in just a few minutes. mike? right now we have a live look at fremont. 880 very smooth right here just south of auto mall parkway. still tracking the slow down into oakland downtown area by that disabled big rig. we'll track that one coming up. well, good morning. very happy thursday to you. a lot happening on this thursday morning. we'll start with a very serious threat against the future of facebook. the state's attorneys general of 48 states, 48 out of 50 have filed an anti-trust lawsuit and then the federal government in the form of the ftc filed another lawsuit accusing facebook of anti-competitive practices when it bought instagram and whatsapp. one solution broke facebook apart into separate companies. one of the more serious allegations against facebook which sees more than its fair

share of allegations. >> for nearly a decade, facebook has used its dominance and monopoly power to crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition all at the expense of every day users. >> facebook responded by pointing out governments could have raised the alarm back when it bought instagram and whatsapp but didn't. the ftc and states stood by for years while facebook invested millions of hours to make instagram and whatsapp into the apps viewers enjoy today. there is nothing in the law that puts a time limit on the approval or disapproval of mergers and acquisitions. and there are definitely some e-mail s out there that we reported on before that a jury might see as evidence facebook new instagram and whatsapp were competitives and moved to buy them before they were a threat.

the price will start at $68 a share. and holy holy what a good day for doordash yesterday. just one of three bay area companies to celebrate their first trades on the stock market on wednesday. doordash up 86% by the close. traveling from its ipo price of $102 a share to close at $189 a share. i've included the high there, as well. $195.50 just to point out not everybody makes money on a rocketship stock. somebody out there bought at $195.50 yesterday and became one of the few people to lose money on doordash. i mentioned three stock market debuts. here they are doordash up 86 pe and pubmatic rises by almost half and c3ai i briefed you on that company rose 120% in its first day in trading. a look at the three kids from stanford who thought up doordash starting with part-time

deliveries from a paloalto delivery store. all worth about $1.5 billion each. tony there in the middle is the ceo. he came to america when his dad started graduate school at the university of oillinois and adopted the first name tony after naming himself after tony danza. >> we enable every restaurant to deliver. for customers we offer restaurant food delivery in under 45 minutes. >> tony presenting his brand-new company in investors. originally they just had a website. paloalto paloaltodelivery.com. i do want to say i really enjoy doing this. you look back at the origins of the company and then you marvel at how much it has been worth just in these last couple of days. but let me say, i don't give stock advice but there are definitely people out there who wonder if $70 billion is the

proper valuation for doordash which is a company that does a lot of amazing things. one thing it doesn't do is make money. >> yeah, right. exactly. they need to prove that. and right now it's big but what happens when the pandemic is over? it's interesting to see. but good for them. nice to see success stories. >> fun to do rig, right? >> thanks, scott. all right. take a look at this. you know what, this is something you are probably thinking nice painting, no, no, no. that is a samsung 110 inch wall television. oh, yes. it is every person i know dream. it can be installed like any other traditional television. not at all because it is so big but some presale orders being taken right now p. it has launched in the u.s. next year whether it's before the super bowl is really a toss-up but there is also no word yet on how much this is going to cost. so, the fact that you can

preorder this but you still don't know how much it costs. i mean, that's interesting. >> that's for the people where money is no object, i suppose. who have a big enough house with a big enough wall to put that thing up. >> that is nice. well, trending this morning, just 15 days until christmas. but because of the pandemic, wish lists have certainly changed a little bit. some of the big trends for gifts this year are products helping people work remotely. like wireless headphones and lounge wear. and face masks for stocking stuffers. many gifts you can get online. take a listen to what has been popular on amazon. >> a few key things that we have been seeing are home and kitchen items. people are at home and they're cooking more than they ever have before. we have really seen that gravitation towards upgrades to at-home lifestyle. >> amazon says ninja cooking gadgets, robot vacuums and smart plugs have been some of the top sellers out there.

>> i remember one year -- >> don't get me a vacuum for christmas, though. >> i remember one year i told a woman i was dating a crockpot and they said a crockpot. that's what i wanted. i didn't get the crockpot, but, you know. >> wow. i'm surprised. >> i got a nicer watch. >> i told pierre i wanted a vacu vacuum. laura, i'm cracking up that you said that. he said no. so i have to buy it for myself. >> just buy it for the house and get me something sparkly. >> get something better, vianey. i can't wait it see what it is. >> i don't know. this vacuum cleaner is a good one. quality. grade a. let's get to your temperatures. okay. we have a lot to talk about when it comes to the weather and i'm sure people are anticipating this rain we have been chatting about. fairfax 36 degrees right now. it is cold in napa, as well.

34. novato 36 and san jose 45 and san francisco 51. doppler radar showing us exactly what i've been mentioning. that low pressure system just off of the pacific. that's expected to make its arrival including some cloud cover but first we'll notice a bit of a cooling trend ahead and gusty winds heading into this afternoon. a wind advisory that goes into effect starting at 8:00 a.m. for the north bay coastal mountains and sonoma and marin counties and in effect until 4:00 p.m. and also the possibility of seeing some rain. this is a good welcome sight. also snow for the sierra. this will move in on friday with widespread rain expected for saturday into sunday. as far as how much rain see the majority of it with just under two inches and maybe a little under two inches and the rest of the bay area will get an inch or less than an inch.

we'll take any rain and we certainly welcome it. south bay tahoe expected to see snow anywhere from 12 to 18 inches and then in addition to the scattering we're seeing this weekend, another system move in by next wednesday. so, instability there but a welcome sight. mike, i'll send it over to you. >> all right, viane, i, focus on the two spots where we're not moving so quickly. bay bridge toll plaza you'll see coming off the 880 overcrossing a slow drive. but the rest of the lanes are clear coming off the maze. the map shows you the same thing. little slowing on the span and then zoom into the second of the two slow spots and it's southbound 880 approaching high street. still have the slow lane blocked and a big rig there and there may be some crews arriving to lend assistance. south of the coliseum and everything is just fine. i heard about a new crash over in hayward. we'll check on that part of the nimitz coming up. >> thanks so much, mike. when the covid-19 vaccine becomes available how will you pay for it? >> next here on "today in the bay" our bay yare area responds

will break it down for you.

the covid-19 vaccine is a priceless advance in ending the pandemic. but surely there's a cost. how much? some drugmakers have pegged the price around $40. perhaps broken up between two $20 shots. but if you have health insurance, it's possible covid-19 vaccine is free. the group that represents health inshr insurance companies says this.

health insurance providers cover vaccines recommended by the cdc's acip under most plans. when acip recommends a vaccine, it will be covered or free. if you don't have health insurance, don't worry too much. contact your local health department. see if they have a low or no-cost plan available for you. if you work, contact your boss. the same way some companies offer free flu vaccines, it's possible some workers will get free covid-19 vaccines at work. back to health departments for a second. they play a key role administ administering vaccines and communicating important information about roll out. so, follow them on social media for updates and see if you can get alerts by text or e-mail. you can find more covid-19 vaccine information at nbcbayarea.com/vaccine. >> thanks. happening right now, the fda

meeting to approve the very first covid-19 vaccine for the u.s. we'll tell you those details coming up next. plus. >> and we'll also break down a new app that could let you know if you've been exposed to coronavirus. and have you seen the self-driving cars on the streets of the bay area? up next, why testing these cars is a road never traveled before. you're watching "today in the bay." to all the businesses that helped us

make it through 2020... thank you for going the extra mile... and for the extra pump of caramel. thank you for the good food... and the good karma. thank you for all the deliveries... especially this one. you've reminded us that no matter what, we can always find a way to bounce forward. so thank you,

to our customers and to businesses everywhere, from all of us at comcast business. so, i go to floor and decor where i get rock-bottom prices. on tile, wood, stone and laminate. plus, i score free in-store design services. now that's time well spent. explore floor and decor in person or online. right now at 6:30, happening

now, the fda is meeting to consider approval of the first covid vaccine for americans. a live report on that meeting next. plus. >> over 8,000 people who lost beloved members of their families are not coming back. l.a. county public health officer gets emotional as she warns in surging cases and deaths. up next, the warning for the entire golden state as "today in the bay" continues right now. a very good morning to you and thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. we'll get to the commute with mike in just a bit but first start off with that forecast for you. vianey in for kari this morning. you bringing some sunshine for us? >> a little bit of sunshine at least for the first half of the day, but i am bringing much-needed rain, which is good news because we are definitely in a drought and we saw elevated fire danger last week, which is

not normal for the month of december. now, right now, as you head out the door, you definitely want to bundle up, especially if you live in the north bay. temperatures in the 30s. 36 degrees in novato and 34 in napa and closer look at what we are forecasting ahead. i'll scoot this out to the pacific because that, you see there, that's the surge of moisture. that's a low pressure system making its arrival this weekend. i'll talk about the timing and how much rain and snow for the sierra we'll get coming up in a few minutes. mike? >> vianey, you're watching that radar and watching the live cameras. oakland changes by the coliseum and the bay bridge toll plaza. let's look at the toll plaza where the metering lights were turned on and the middle lanes are slow, but look. the lanes at the top coming off the 880 overcrossing have cleared and must have been one tol gate closed. the map the other slowing that just seven minutes ago cleared over here southbound 880 the coliseum all lanes cleared now and that's why we see more

traffic heading south past the coliseum. disabled car also cleared from northbound at fifth and all the activity outside of oakland is calm. back to you. >> all right, thanks, mike. you know what, a critical day in ending the pandemic. the fda plans on granting emergency use authorization for pfizer's covid-19 vaccine. today is the first day for a new app to allow users to know if they were exposed. cierra johnson with how each may slow the spread of the virus. cierra. >> it sounds like we're having trouble with her microphone this morning. we'll work that out and we'll tell you tabout the app, as wel, that could help you know if you've been around people who have been infected with covid. now, besides pfizer's vaccine three major players have

their own candidates nearing the finish line. moderna's candidate is now awaiting fda approval with a hearing set for one week from today. johnson & johnson is also developing a vaccine. it expects to file for fda approval in january. the oxford astrazeneca vaccine currently in phase three trials among people who received an initial low dose followed by standard dose. the vaccine was 90% effective. some experts believe this vaccine may take longer to be approved in the united states. and the hope these vaccines are providing is real. the u.s. confirming nearly 223,000 new cases just yesterday. another new record for you. and another 3,100 new deaths. now, that's also a record and the first time that we've ever surpassed that 3,000 mark. statewide, those numbers also setting a new record with nearly 31,000 new infections. california now nearing 1.5 million. nearly 200 more people have died.

taking a live look at los angeles this morning. this is just really one of the hardest hit areas not just in california, but the nation. cases continue to sky rocket. just a month it's seeing an average of 43 deaths per day. barbara, the county's public health director broke down in tears yesterday talking about the devastating death toll. >> over 8,000 people, sorry. over 8,000 people who were beloved members of their family are not coming back. and their deaths are an incal cueble loss. >> it is rising fast. that is also due to the difference in population. well, staying in southern california, improving weather conditions have actually helped firefighters just about fully

contain a wildfire that started last week. the bond fire near irvine burned 6,600 acres and destroyed 31 homes and buildings. and new for you this morning, the arena where the warriors just can't seem to win. the legal arena at least when it comes to their long battle over debt owed to alameda county. mercury news is reporting that the state supreme court has rejected the team's appeal to pay oakland and the county $47 million. this is tied to renovations to the old arena. and, no, the team will not appeal to the u.s. supreme court. in a statement they say that they will at long last pay up. and new details for you this morning. there are a few more driverless cars on the streets of san francisco this morning. but these are without backup drivers. the car company cruise is testing five of its electron autonomous vehicles. this is video earlier this year

from general motors subsidiary. other companies are testing driverless vehicles but cruise is the first to have no backup driver behind that wheel. it received that testing permit back in october. coming up next, we'll check in with kris sanchez. she comes back continuing her week-long in depth reporting on vaccines. >> kris, today is a crucial day. >> this could be the beginning of the end of this pandemic. today we could find out whether the fda grants emergency use approval of the pfizer vaccine, but we're going to talk about what our local counties are doing to make sure they are ready to give those shots as soon as they get them. meanwhile, youtube is going to crack down on false claims by the president and others about the election. let's take you out to the big board this morning. stocks are down 853,000 americans file for first-time jobless claims. you're watching "today in the bay."

good thursday morning. it is 6:40 and we're starting out with clear conditions. beautiful views over san francisco. 51 degrees right now, but we will be seeing the clouds rolling in along with the wind for the coastal mountains in the north bay and, yes, we're still talking about that rain. looking good for the weekend. i'll have the full forecast coming up in just a few minutes. >> thanks so much, vianey. 6:40 right now.

hunter biden is providing a ammunition for his father's critics this morning. >> republicans try to make joe biden's son part of the conversation during the campaign, but that largely failed. >> it did mostly because the allegations were pretty thin and his main accuser, rudy giuliani, has a way of making things sometimes hard to believe and provided little evidence. giuliani himself under investigation by the feds for the way he investigated in ukraine and really hunter biden has not been a good subject for the white house overall. it was, after all, the president's obsession with his opponent's son that led donald trump to become just the third president in american history to be impeached. this time it's different because this time it's the professional prosecutors at the justice department doing the finger pointing. the younger biden announcing he is under investigation over his taxes. the u.s. attorney in the state of delaware would not confirm that, but hunter biden himself said i take this matter very seriously, but i'm confident nat a professional and objective

review of these matters will demonstrate that i handled my affairs legally and appropriately including with the benefit of professional tax advisors. the president meanwhile continues to make completely false claims about the outcome of the presidential election. he did not win and youtube now says it will take down video that claim otherwise that call the election into question. when asked why it took 38 days for youtube to make that decision, they pointed to wednesday's deadline or tuesday's deadline for electors as the point of no return. biden had, indeed, won. that's not going to stop the president's claims but he found fewer channels to make them. the damage, though, may be done some americans have threatened violence and countries overseas who opposed democracy pointed to our president and said, see, even america doesn't do it right. the chinese embassy in america even retweeted one of trump's claims americans cheat in their

elections. it later unretweeted it and they claimed their twitter account was hacked just for one retweet. returned control of the twitter account to the chinese government say the chinese. speaking of social media, a democratic state lawmaker in michigan has been stripped of her committee assignments after she posted a facebook live and made what could be considered threatening statements. cynthia johnson who documented threats against herself on facebook said you trumpers be careful, walk lightly and then later made a much more sas is mh its request and return the results in wisconsin, michigan, pennsylvania and georgia. five supreme court justices will have to vote to even hear the case. speaking of accusations, the texas attorney general who brought the suit pictured here is under indictment for securities fraud and accused by eight of his senior staff with

malfesance while in office. a lot going on today in washington. we'll beic traing it itracking . you can find me @scottmcgrew. >> thanks for keeping us in the know. today may be a big step towards the beginning of the end of the covid pandemic. the fda now meeting to decide whether the green light or two green light the pfizer vaccine for emergency use and the work is now under way to get those vaccines administered as soon as possible here in the bay area. "today in the bay" kris sanchez is live for us outside the santa clara county public health department. kris, a lot that goes into this process. it's going to be a big one. >> yeah, you know, we asked to talk to some public health officials from our different counties all of them, though, too busy to stop and talk because they're getting ready to make sure they can vaccinate people as soon as they get the vaccine and as soon as the fda gives the green light. i want to show you the data that the fda released yesterday. they call it a data dump. we can take a look early.

38,000 people in the clinical trial and 1,068 who gauot the placebo who later contracted covid and 118 went on to get sick. 98% efficacy rate and no serious adverse reactions. we asked a specialist to weigh in and he says he likes what he sees. >> based on my experience working with the fda and involved in regulatory approval of many products, i think this is going to be a slam dunk. >> all right. and you'll be ready to roll up your sleeve next week, right? the 15th or so. >> he says he's ready to roll up his sleeve. california promised doses of covid-19 vaccines and they're going to be distributed this way statewide. the bay area in region two there in the map on purple along with seven other counties. we expect to get about 80,000

doses. to secure those doses, counties had to submit plan to the state including 15 questions on how they handled the h1n1 flu because that was the last pandemic we had to deal with. which facilities can handle that storage and distribution of the vaccine which has to be kept about 100 degrees below zero fahrenheit and how they'll reach populations equitable. the first round of vaccines will go to health care workers and care facility residents and staff. as of monday of this week, nearly 57,000 california health care workers tested positive for covid-19. 221 of them did not survive. nearly 7,000 people died of covid in nursing homes accounting for 34% of all deaths in california. now, the fda hearing is under way right now. it got started just about 45 minutes ago. we're going to continue to

monitor that for you throughout the morning. if approved, the pfizer vaccine could start landing here in the bay area arriving at our county health departments by tuesday. in san jose, kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> we'll talk about storage a little bit. how counties are managing to find some of these freezers to keep that vaccine at the right temperature, kris. >> well, you know, they're reaching out to different entities. some county health departments do have the equipment, but it is really specialized because it is so freezing cold. it's not exactly the kind of thing you go to best buy and pick up. but we know that they have been working with higher education institutions, the universities. there are companies that are also lending their equipment to try to help make sure that counties can get the vaccines and keep them viable long enough to inject people with them. >> some of the more rural areas of california, you know, are taking care of, as well. thanks a lot, kris. >> everyone working together. 6:47 for you this morning.

lending a helping hand for animals in need. the east bay spca and a few other animal shelters took in more than 80 dogs from tulsa, oklahoma, due to overcrowding. spca says it has now 24 new dogs and they're now going to test to see if they can be adopted. head to east bay spca website to learn how you can adopt them. all right. looking for a little love on this christmas holiday in willow glen. check out what popped up here. cute little mistletoe booth bringing couples andm families together. you go there in your own bubble. you take your family and friends there. you see how cute it is. they had dogs getting in on the act. you certainly keep your own distance but they put it up just as a friendly thing. you go and take some pictures and then you move on. >> i love that.

>> it's sweet. >> like you said, keep your bubble in tact. you don't want to go, some people are probably going, hey, how can i meet somebody there? >> you don't go and hang out. >> well, can we hear vianey. >> hey, let's check in with mike right now. he has a look at that morning commute. how is it going out there? >> you know, two key spots that areb fors and we have cameras right there. let's take a look at them, folks. this is the nimitz by the coliseum just to the north of the coliseum a couple incidents and also the bay bridge toll plaza we have a camera there showing the big backup and looks horrible on the bay bridge toll plaza. but things are moving a little bit better. let's look at the maps. as we head to the top of the screen, vianey get back online and get her here in a second and looking at a smooth and dry road. bay bridge toll plaza at the top of the screen. looks like things are backed up only at the toll mrauz thaw span is cleared and both arrows show

another incident just north to the coliseum and maybe a little more slowing. those two sections in oakland are the slow ones and everything else looks great and although our circle in san jose and north 101 two earlier incidents around mckie. they both cleared, i believe, but i still see a little slowing. the trivalley we have only the mild build out of the 84 and livermore. vianey, back over to you. >> hey, mike, thanks for jumping in. the beautiful woes of working from home. you never know with technology. but don't worry, i still got you covered when it comes to your forecast and i want to make sure you're prepared for the big changes ahead. 51 degrees in san francisco and beautiful clear skies to start and look at san jose. the clouds are starting to roll in. 45 degrees right now for san jose and how about 37 for fairfax. definitely a cool morning and here's a look at doppler radar which we're going to be moner ittii monerterring very closely. we have an approaching low pressure system and that is

expected to bring us a good surge of moisture to the bay area and we also have storm ranger that is up and scanning, ready for that arrival of the system. our mobile doppler radar is there. >> okay. well, looks like you can see the wind advisory there, vianey was talking about. stay with us and we'll update you on all of that. happening now for you, walmart making a big announcement to india. the retailer announcing it will buy $10 billion worth of india made goods each year by 2027. that's triple the amount of goods walmart is currently buying. and coming up next, we're going to have a quick look at our top stories. a nation awaiting word on whether we have our first covid vaccine. the latest on the meeting happening right now and the new way to go straight to your phone to see if you have been exposed to the virus. we'll tell you all about it. you're watching "today in the bay." 6:51.

the usual gifts are just not going to cut it.

we have to find something else. good luck! what does that mean? we are doomed. [laughter] that's it. i figured it out! we're going to give togetherness. that sounds dumb. we're going to take all those family moments and package them. hmm. [laughing] that works.

welcome back. here's a quick look at our top stories. >> the fda will vote on granting emergency use for kaiser's covid vaccine. a new app will help users know if they were exposed to the virus. cierra johnson with more with how they can slow the spread of the virus. >> today is a monumental day. two large headlines that we're going to start with the that approval. right now emergency authorization is what that committee will be addressing. the panel moves forward, the fda will then have to decide to approve it and if they do federal officials say they plan to start vaccinating the first americans within a number of days. right now 60% of americans say they will get vaccinated. that's up from 51% in just

september. and the other major story happening this morning, the app that is a collaboration between apple, google and california goes live today. if you an iphone there isn't anything you need to download. i checked my phone this morning and found a new feature under the settings called exposure notification. you simply open that app and set it to california or the state you're in and turn it on. that app records your location via blue tooth and if someone tests positive, the system will notify others whose location or data shows they may have also been exposed. the makers of the app said no need to worry about privacy concerns. the location data is sent directly to the state of california department of health and there federally protected. this technology was tested on college campuses throughout the state and showed promising results. >> over the last two and a half months, we had over 50 students and employees test positive and enter the validation key into the system to launch anonymous exposure notifications.

that's been very helpful. >> so, the key to ensuring this app works as well as it can, according to the makers, is that as many people as possible download the app and actually turn those settings on their phones and you're able to get those notifications. since it is based on your location, the more people that have it on, the more people that are notified of that possible exposure. we're live in marin county, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." 6:57. santa clara county is already gearing up for its first delivery of moderna vaccine even before it receives final approval. the county expects nearly 40,000 doses later this month. the fda moderna hearing is scheduled for one week from today. combine would the expected 17,000 doses of pfizer's vaccine, santa clara county will receive about 57,000 doses by the end of the month. it's all going to health care workers and long-term care facilities first. well follow up for you, the latest statewide covid

restrictions are adding fuel to the fire, at least when it comes to an ongoing effort to recall governor newsom. that effort launched back in june and not the first time opponents have actually tried to oust governor newsom. but recent frustrations and those closures and even some questionable decisions by the governor have really drawn more anger from the conservatives. new political reports that if that current recall effort gets some real financial backing, well, it may turn into a threat next year. well, take a look at your tv. that's a hovercraft ferry and happening today bay area water transportation leaders will discuss bringing these to the bay. great on area where waters are shallow. some hope one day the hovercraft could ferry passengers to places along the peninsula and the south bay. hovercraft were considered for the bay area about a decade ago. i remember doing news stories talking about it, but transportation leaders back then decided to pass on the idea. they're kind of fun to ride.

i road one in england years and years and years ago. that would be neat to shuttle people around the bay. let's take a live look at the bay on this thursday morning, friday eve. the weather has been, i don't know, it feels quite warm by the afternoon. vianey is in for kari this morning with a look at our forecast. >> well, laura, things are going to cool down with the arrival of a cool front and initially kick up some gusty winds there the north bay and coastal mountains and wind advisory in effect until 4:00 p.m. long range outlook showing rain moving in on friday and becoming widespread by saturday evening and into sunday. this is fantastic news for us. we definitely need the rain. that will linger through the weekend. get ready for it. we'll send it back to you. >> all right. vianey. looking over here towards the bay bridge toll plaza and we have a backup and only the middle lanes holding up with the backup and outside lanes are

thinning out and another crash around 16th moving to the shoulder. >> all right. that's going to do it for us. >> live look for us outside. this beautiful sunrise for you. san francisco. means it is going to be a great day. see you back here tomorrow morning. good morning. dire milestone. a record 3,100 covid deaths in just 24 hours, as the feared thanksgiving surge takes hold of the nation. one health official fighting back tears to address the unimaginable toll. >> beloved members of thr families are not coming back. help on the way? a key fda hearing on pfizer's vaccine today, with approval and the first shot possible by this weekend. this morning, we'll talk about all of it live with the commissioner of the fda. still at it.