leaving out this time. plus, a moderna vaccine arrives as the cdc issues new guidelines for who should be next in line to get the shot. just ahead details on today's rollout and plans taking shape for the longer time. plus, fog popping up in parts of the bay area including right here in walnut creek. we're tracking how long it will stick around as the third hour of "today in the bay" continues right now. and it is monday morning. we like to start off the workweek in a good way. thanks for joining us. i'm marcus washington. and i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia who is spending some time with the kids this holiday week. meteorologist kari hall, though, this is the first official day of winter, is it not? it is and we're starting out with something we do typically see for the start of winter. that tule fog, because it's been drifting into the east bay and north bay, really reducing the

visibility. unhealth yiy air quality. that's coming up in a few minutes. how is it looking for the commute? overall green on the sensors. two disabled vehicles. we're looking towards the east bay, eastbound 580 at coolidge. this overnight crash involving a wrongway driver. sounds like major injuries. two lanes blocked. the north bay, highway 4 may be an issue for really dense fog. back to you. >> thank you, mike. happening today president-elect joe biden is set to get his first covid shot. it's not clear whether he will get the pfizer or moderna shot.

cameras will be rolling. and a live look at capitol hill where more help is on the way, the words of senator mitch mccome, as congress agrees to a new $900 billion coronavirus relief bill. this is considered a stopgap to help those who are paralyzed by the pandemic. >> "today in the bay's" chris pollone is live with the details and a look at what happens next. chris? >> reporter: after weeks of haggling it appears both chambers of congress will have a vote on this relief bill. if it passes president trump has said he will sign it into law meaning money could start flowing soon for people and businesses hurt by this pandemic. negotiations went down to the

wire but today a new covid-19 bill could be law. >> a package of nearly $900 billion packed with targeted policies that help struggling americans. who have already waited entirely too long. >> reporter: $600 in direct payments to qualifying americans. add $300 a week to unemployment checks, provide more loans to small businesses and direct extra funds to distribute covid vaccines across the country. there is also help for people struggling to pay their rent as well. >> our purpose has always been to crush the virus, to put money in the pockets of the american people which we do in this legislation. >> reporter: it does not provide liability protections, a republican push, or extra money to state and local governments, a key want for democrats. but democrats see the agreement as a bridge to more relief once joe biden becomes president.

>> while this bill is far from perfect, nor is it the bill that we would pass if democrats had a majority in the senate, it is a strong shot in the arm to help american families weather the storm. >> reporter: both sides pointing the finger saying a deal could have been reached weeks ago. taking a look at the notes from our capitol hill team this morning as they start their work day, they say that leaders in congress are warning members it will be a very long day. this bill is being written by the two sides overnight and has not posted yet. many members do not want to vote on something they haven't had a chance to take a look at. votes could be late today. >> i know the money doesn't have any impact on state and local governments including right here in california and the bay area

for that matter. what was the sticking point to this? >> reporter: i think it was the negotiation tactic here because the republicans really wanted to put in a provision that would prevent lawsuits against businesses with regard to covid-19 issues. they were really fighting hard for that. democrats were pushing for a trillion in state and local aid. neither side got what they wanted in this round. if you imagine negotiations are a political calculation you have to figure democrats this time are calculating that given a month or two maybe they can get more done depending on how the makeup of the senate shakes out. states and cities are screaming out for help right now because most of them cannot deficit

spend. they have to balance their budget. personnel, police, firefighters, teachers will be and have been cut. >> we've seen it. thank you, governor gavin newsom is back in quarantine. according to the office so far the governor and his staff members have all tested negative although they will be retested in the days ahead and all of this, again, will be happening over the next couple of days. the guidelines now call for a ten-day quarantine so the governor will be working from home like the rest of us for the foreseeable future. it is the second time. last time his children were potentially exposed. hospitals are on the verge of being overwhelmed. i want you to take a look at these graphs. the number of californians

hospitalized with the virus since april, take a look at all of this right here. hospitalizations peaked at just above 8,000. take a look at where we are. as of saturday more than double that with nearly 18,000 people hospitalized. "today in the bay's" bob redell is live in walnut creek. some of the hospitals and the state may have to ration care because of what we're seeing, these rising numbers. >> reporter: good morning to you, marcus. yes, we know at least one health care system in los angeles is considering that possibility of rationing health care. we don't know how it is in the bay area with hospitals in our area. we do know that the icu bed capacity here in the bay area is at dangerous levels. you can take a look at your tv screen. only 8% remain available here in contra costa county. we're talking about icu beds. san mateo, santa clara, solano

counties also in the red with fewer than 15% available. some in the san joaquin valley and southern california have hit zero percent capacity. our sister station in los angeles has been told this last line of defense is being crushed by this recent surge in covid-19 cases. you have to remember it's not just covid. there are a lot of emergencies not related, competing for the health care attention. it could get worse which could force hospitals to ration health care. basically with holding health care for one patient so another patient can live. >> it appears that in january we'll have an overflow and will have to do hard decisions to choose who gets a ventilator,

who to disconnect because they don't have a chance to survive. >> reporter: hospitals in los angeles have set up mobile units outside their buildings to deal with this surge. this is something we've seen in hospitals up here in the bay area as well. reporting live in walnut creek, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> thank you, bob. the race is on to distribute that moderna vaccine. the pfizer vaccine requires a lot of refrigeration. moderna will also require refrigeration and it will go first to frontline workers who are at high risk of exposure to covid-19. >> people are wondering who will be next in line. tom costello has more of those answers. >> reporter: marcus and kris, good morning from washington. the moderna vaccine rolling out today, in addition, of course, to the pfizer vaccine in its

second week of distribution. in total this week alone 8 million more are moving out. so many states are not getting the number of doses that they had anticipated, that they planned for. bottom line this comes down to just a planning mistake they had put out a theoretical number of doses they would put out this week and when it came time to the actual number based on real facts they never adjusted so people were planning to get that initial shipment and didn't get it. most states across the country say they're down significantly this week. an important note as you start to get yourself vaccinated. people over the age of 75 should be in the next group to get vaccinated. once you have gotten one

vaccine, that's it, you have to stick with that vaccine for the follow- follow-up. you can't mix them. start with pfizer and have a moderna booster shot. both require two doses, but you have to stick with the same vaccine all along. much more coming up including the breakdown of who is next to get vaccinated, and it is, of course, as you would expect a lot of frontline emergency workers, health care workers, grocery workers, et cetera. back to you. 6:11 for you right now. a live look across the bay area. take a look at this. it is a foggy start in some places as you can see right there in walnut creek. take a look at san jose, san francisco. nice out there. the bay area under the winter spare the air alert for you today. it's due to smoky skies. cities are seeing hazy conditions. meteorologist kari hall has been all about what's going on here and, of course, people should

know it's going to be nice but rain is coming our way. >> we are going to have rain by the end of the week. it'd it's unhealthy. for some of our valleys we'll have one of those days you do not want to burn anything and add pollutants to the air. that's where it will be most unhealthy if you're sensitive to that. you do need to limit your time outdoors today. we'll talk more about this coming up. what's the update on the commute? >> it's pretty still as far as the air goes. we're looking at the green which is still there as well. to whipple where a car is still in the middle lanes. that's a tenuous situation.

eastbound 580 at coolidge, the crash still blocking your lanes. back to you. all right. thank you, mike. up next many businesses are struggling to make it during the pandemic. but some are booming. the bay area startups seeing a surge as people are told to shelter at home. a strain on the markets as a new strain of coronavirus goes all over england. let's take you out to the futures this morning. the dow set to lose 400 points plus. you're watching "today in the bay."

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

right now at 6:15 we're dealing with low visibility because of tule fog. it happens after the first big rainfall and some of that makes it into the bay area and it reduces visibility very low. makes it dangerous for driving. so watch out for that. we'll talk about what we'll be able to see once this clears coming up in the forecast. and the bay bridge toll plaza is still clear. we're seeing a few more cars. the traffic alert, though, is still going on in oakland. we'll point that out. also issues for the fog -- issues for drivers caused by the fog. we'll show you the expanse of that as well coming up.

good morning. a very happy monday. you might think the stock market would be happy about the progress made in washington over the coronavirus stimulus plan, and it is good news but the stock market is more worried about the progress of coronavirus itself particularly that new strain that has hit the uk so hard. let's take a live look at the big board, the futures this morning. the bets investors place. they're expecting a big loss all around. over the weekend the prime minister in the uk announced very severe shutdowns for london. several countries said they would start banning travelers from the uk. you had scenes like this of people crowding train stations and airports before the deadline. british scientists says the new strain seems to spread faster but isn't any more or less deadly.

>> it is more transmissible. it doesn't appear so far that it causes any worsening of the disease which is important. and as far as we know at this stage the vaccine should still work against it. france banned all cargo out of england including trucks carrying freight through the channel tunnel or the port of dover on england's south coast. chris pollone was telling us about the coronavirus deal earlier, $600 checks for people making less than $99,000. additional money tacked on to unemployment as well and then some good news for restaurants. lawmakers tacked on that new rule that president trump had been pushing for expanding the ability for people and companies to claim a business expense when eating out. some dubbed it the three martini lunch tax break. it's good news for restaurants but, then again, here in the bay area and in washington there is no eating in restaurants allowed for now.

tesla will be added to the s&p 500 index today. that led to a flood of buying on friday just as we said it would. new buyers pushed the price of a share up 6% before the weekend. it's the sixth most valuable company in the united states. various plans require managers to buy shares of companies that are in the s&p 500. so we saw that buying on friday. we may see the drops today because the buying is largely over. tesla stock, that's the number 731% for the year. it's just an extraordinary company, an extraordinary stock. >> it is. >> that is wild. thank you, scott. many businesses may be struggling, unlike tesla, during the pandemic. grocery delivery companies are doing all right.

san francisco-based instacart has doubled this last year. smaller bay area grocery startups seeing a rise in orders and many are reporting big profits and also hiring more workers. trending this morning singer ariana grande switching from the position of girlfriend to fiancee. ♪ i'll be switching my position for you ♪ yep, she's apparently off the market there. the singer announcing on instagram she's engaged and posted a picture of her boyfriend saying forever and then some. the engagement ring you can see there pretty cool and big. a large diamond with a pearl on one side. they began dating at the beginning of the year. quarantine brought dome together and they stayed together and sealed it with a ring. a big ring. >> we'll see if it lasts. >> if you can make it through

the quarantine you can make it through life. some of us didn't make it through the quarantine. take a look at that for you. kari, something nice for you out there. yes, the first day of winter and for the bay area and, of course, the northern hemisphere it's what we call the shortest day of the year. we don't have as much daylight. now the sun is directly over the tropic of cap rricorncapricorn. our sun will set shortly before 5:00. and when the sun does set you'll want to look out there and get a comfortable spot. you'll be able to see the great con just, saturn and jupiter will appear close together. it will appear close to us as we

go into the evening hours and will look like a bright star. they're calling this the christmas star because they think this may have been how the planets were aligned for the first christmas. you'll see the two planets very close together. this is the first time we've had it at nighttime and this close in 800 years. skies will be clear. it won't be until the end of the week we'll be awaiting some rain and looks like santa brings us rain christmas day into christmas night. covering much of northern california. we could have a second round into sunday. especially after all of this dry weather starting out our winter and our temperatures will be in the upper 50s and low 60s throughout the rest of the week. we'll talk more about that coming up. mike, how is it looking now for the commute? the fog is the big story as

far as the map goes. it dominates the yellow there going into novato. at one point up said zero miles of visibility. it's not that easily seen. we're following a traffic alert, too. that's the big issue. it's not showing slowing. eastbound 580 at coolidge a head-on crash. the fog down to 580 but no incidents for the rest of the bay. back to you. >> thanks, mike. up next for you on "today in the bay," nbc bay area responds. >> reporter: she paid one price inside the store but her credit card company billed her hundreds of dollars more. how can that happen? i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, nbc bay area responds next.

>> reporter: good morning, if you shop at macy's you can skip the register if you choose mobile check-out. a woman did that and a month later she was charged more than the amount on her receipt. she says she asked macy's to fix it but didn't get anywhere. she turned to us. there was a conflict between the regular prices and sale prices on lori's items. we asked macy's to take another look. the store agreed to refund her $195. macy's told us this issues has

been resolved with the customer. lori wrote us this, i could not have done it without you. we could not have done it without lori doing two critical things, one, save your receipts, even if you snap photos of them and, two, check your credit card bill each lont. month. maybe we can help. head to nbcbayarea.com and choose the responsibilities option or call us 888-996-tips. an explosion of covid cases in southern california is reportedly hitting grocery store workers. the number of outbreaks in businesses in l.a. county has nearly tripled. it's not always clear if workers became inforgeted on the job. an outbreak is more than three. up next, more help is on the way for moderna's covid vaccine

expected to arrive today and the new hope it's giving frontline workers and who is expected to get it first. >> law enforcement officers and why relief for them may be getting closer.

right now at 6:30 a live look at the opening bell this morning, the dow poised to drop at the start. well, there you have it right

there. the dow down some 300 points right now. travel stocks are getting hammered on new travel restrictions tied to travel bans to the uk. our cierra johnson is taking a closer look at that as air travel concerns continue. "today in the bay" continues right now. and a good monday morning to you. i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. mike is keeping an eye on that commute. first let's start with the forecast for you. we've been talking about rain but not today, right? >> not today. not until the end of the week. i wanted to show you the fog we have. low visibility and look at how cold it is. we'll drop down to the mid-30s and down to 34 degrees and then the fog moving through napa and novato. be very careful as we see the

fog rolling through this morning. i'll be tracking that and the air quality and what else is ahead in the forecast. let's look at the map. eastbound 580 around coolidge. it happened overnight. major injuries. light traffic around the bay likely needs sun light to get photos of the scene. fog dominates with all the yellow and orange. a live look at the bay bridge shows you very light traffic there. a very light, easy drive. >> thank you, mike. another vaccine about to be put to the test. bay area hospitals will soon have another line of defense. the new batch is from moderna.

"today in the bay's" jackie ward is live for us. how many doses are we talking about here? >> reporter: marcus, tens of to us are on their way to the bay area right now. santa clara county expecting to get the most from this batch at least. marin county expected to get 3,100 today and the alameda county vaccine advisory group will meet tonight. just like this time last week when pfizer's vaccine was being shipped, these shots are being monitored very closely as ordered by u.s. marshals, the first vials of the vaccine are on the way to nearly 4,000 locations nationwide. >> both companies, pfizer and moderna, are actively developing a data set.

moderna in the data they've presented have presented early data suggesting transmission and severe infection are both averted with their vaccine. >> reporter: like pfizer's vaccine moderna requires a second dose, about a month after the first, but is recommended for those 18 years and older. pfizer is for those 16 and older. these vials do not require storage in a deep freezer. between moderna and pfizer nearly 8 million doses of this vaccine have been allocated nationwide. jackie ward, "today in the bay." those big numbers keep on coming. california is confirming more than 46,000 new covid-19 cases bringing the overall total to more than 1.8 million. that is in addition to 161 more

people who died bringing the total closer to 23,000 people. more than 2,200 deaths here at home. the cdc is recommending law enforcement officers be next in line among the group getting ready to receive the next round of covid vaccines. according to the site officer down memorial page, now in the bay area mary lou armor was the first known casualty that happened at the end of march. in july the life of alameda county deputy sheriff oscar rocha and in august gilbert polanco and richmond police sergeant died because of covid complications.

>> the company says results are returned within 48 hours and have a higher clinical sensitivi sensitivity. anyone can take an oral test but you must make an appointment first online. on monday the bolinas fire station and the san geronimo valley community center. on tuesday at the united market in san anselmo. our website is a great resource to find that information and all of our pandemic coverage, ongoing updates about the vaccines and the availability and any testing location in your community in case you fear you might have been exposed. head to nbcbayarea.com and find it all there. 6:36 for you this morning. as struggling renters try to make it in the bay more are looking for other options. rent cafe says more renters are

looking to become home buyers instead of staying in high-priced apartments. in san jose the average rent is just above $2,500, a decrease from last year. rent is lower for higher-end apartments meaning more renters may be trading in apartment life for the single family homes during the pandemic. leaders in san rafael tonight will learn what marin county is doing right to help the homeless make it in the bay. reviewing the actions taken to help get people off the streets over the last three years. the county reduced its homeless rate by 7%. the latest decline since new measures were enacted in 2016. and the county has expanded services by increasing shelter capacity and passing an eviction moratorium. cierra? >> reporter: and coming up next on "today in the bay," millions

of folks are expected to travel for the holidays. we're breaking down how many are coming through sfo. congress has reached a deal to pass a coronavirus relief bill. we'll go over some of that. let's take you out to the big board this morning. we are expecting a bad day on wall street because of the issue in england. it's looking okay. not nearly as bad as we expected. you're watching "today in the bay."

right now at 6:40 as we get started this morning, mack sure you are aware we will have a spare the air alert day and limit your time outside. we'll talk about what's ahead with sunshine and when the rain returns coming up in a few minutes. and there's that look at the bay bridge toll plaza. no backup but a little slowing. light, light traffic. another red flag over here for the contra costa county drive. that's coming up. the president-elect will get his first of two coronavirus vaccine shots today. >> and, scott mcgrew, we -- do we know which one he's going to get? the fda just approving moderna over the weekend.

that's right. no, we don't, to answer that question. we don't know which one he will get. pence, we know, got the pfizer vaccine but that was the only vaccine that had been approved. all we know is biden will get the shot today. we expect it to be televised as the president-elect tries to show people that it's safe and that they, too, should be inoculated. meantime, dr. deborah birx ignored her own advice and traveled to see family over the thanksgiving. she told us to be vigilant. she told us to limit our holiday to our own household but she traveled from washington to delaware and had a visit from her grandchildren from a different household as well. in fact, dr. birx appeared in an interview that very weekend in question from delaware where she laments the fact people are moving from state to state and warned if you did you should work from the assumption you pick up the virus.

you need to assume that you are inif he cfected and not go your grandparents and aunts without a mask, even mask indoors if they chose to gather during thanksgiving and others went across the country or even into the next state. the house and senate agreed on a coronavirus relief bill after months upon months of negotiations and sometimes not negotiating at all. the high points, $600 for each american making less than $99,000 a year. more money added to unemployment benefits though the length was not extended. it's still 11 weeks. many lawmakers were pushing for 16 weeks. now the other important thing that the two sides managed to do was pass a 24-hour continuing resolution to keep the government open. we have less than 24 hours now. the clock has been ticking all along. video of the house and the senate voting to keep the entire

government open for another day. we do expect a vote today that would extend spending out until september. president trump said he was not sure russia was behind a massive attack on the u.s. government computers. said the media was making it out to be far worse than it really is. experts are telling us we're making far less of a deal about it and, in fact, the prime suspects, the russians, may still have access to u.s. government computers. a few years ago when told the russians were probing u.s. computer systems president trump suggested the russians join america in guarding against the hackers with an impenetrable cyber security force. we're watching everything happening on twitter and you can follow me there. i am @scottmcgrew. >> scott, thank you. a live look outside at sfo and this week will be different than any other christmas we've seen in the past. aaa saying 34 million fewer plan

to travel. >> "today in the bay's" cierra johnson is at sfo digging deeper into what we can expect here. we want to use your eyes and ears. what are you seeing, cierra? >> reporter: yes, good morning. we've seen a lot of course making their way to sfo. it's still pretty early but we've seen a good number of cars. as you mentioned millions of folks are deciding not to travel but millions of others are still going to be hitting the roads and the skies. 80,000 travelers between friday and saturday have made their way through this one airport. a lot of folks heading out either on vacation or to visit family. the numbers here at sfo are lower than they typically are days before christmas.

they're still significant in the midst of a pandemic. friday and saturday 80,000 folks here, the tsa estimates 1 million people total hit the skies on those days and those numbers don't include sunday, expected to be one of the busiest. the fear now this travel will contribute to another surge like the one we saw across the nation in the weeks after thanksgiving. many many are still decide to go travel across the pond, italy and the netherlands have banned travel from the uk because of a new strain of covid-19 that is proving to transmit faster. almost 70% faster. flights from the uk suspended by italy and the netherlands says it will ban flights until the end of the year. should the united states begin to take those steps to restrict flights? >> my sense is that we can consider it. these strains are popping up in

multiple different places in the uk and denmark. in the philippines. i suspect some strains like that may be circulating in the united states. >> reporter: it is important to note for those folks here in the states, specifically in the bay area if you work or live in san francisco there is that ten-day quarantine period. it does exclude essential workers. a lot of motion, a lot of folks heading to the airport. a little bit of traffic heading to the airport. it's important to do what you can to stay safe, warning that you don't travel but still a good number of folks not heeding that warning. cierra johnson for "today in the bay." really no enforcement. just asking people to do the right thing for the same of doing the right thing. steph curry and his family spreading things in a good way,

spreading cheer. the curry crew held their eighth annual food giveaway. these photos were posted on instagram from oakland arena and helped more than 1,000 families make it through the holiday. look how big those kids have gotten. >> and helping out, too. >> so cute. >> this is a no for me, kris, but two canadians made chess into a winter sport taking an easy plunge on a partly frozen lake. inside the like. >> nope. >> making a time lapse video ending with a cold handshake, of course. we're sure both winners and losers -- the veins are the winners. they say they were mindful about being socially distant there.

>> it's a no. it's a no for me. >> did they just watch "the queen's gambit"? >> maybe it was an inspiration. why in the lake, i don't know. >> oh, my goodness. kari, it might feel that cold on this first day of winter. >> this is the first day of winter, definitely not, a no for me. we check out our chilly start on this first day of winter in san jose. we were talking about the fog in parts of the east bay and north bay and then in san jose it's completely clear. you've probably seen this on your social media fooedz. the way we are looking to the planets it will appear as saturn and jupiter are very close together. it's the first time we've had a viewing this good at nighttime in 800 years.

and being able to see them appear that close in the sky, the christmas star because they think this may have been the alignment of the planets for the first christmas, and so that's what made it appear so bright. you'll be able to see this shortly after sunset. just look to the west or southwest and you'll be able to seep the two planets close by each other shortly after sunset. that will be cool to see. we are getting ready for a christmas gift from santa, some rain friday into saturday. it looks like we could see widespread rain. up until then we're dry. some waves of rain coming in between friday, saturday and sunday. temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s. we're dry up through friday and we'll be watching out for the rain chances coming in on christmas day.

mike, you've been watching the roads this morning. you've had a big traffic alert. is that still going on? >> it is. the red flag over the east bay. light traffic keeps things moving smoothly as we see from the map. this is eastbound 580. two of four lanes are still blocked. a head-on crash, sounds like major injuries. i think the sun light is necessary. you see no slowing there. take note away from the bay bridge. highway 4 hidden in the fog, the yellow there. until it turned red a lot of slowing approaching. we just cleared one lane. middle lane is still blocked. that is a slow drive to 242. marcus, the rest of the bay no problem. just that fog. watch it through contra costa county. back to you. >> thanks, mike. people right now on big island of hawaii are told to stay inside. the national weather service is

warning people about the ash. excessive exposure can cause eye and respiratory inflammation. at least eight earthquakes shook the area within hours of the eruption. up next, a look at our top stories including that new shot of hope. details on moderna's vaccine rollout happening today. also, that help can't come soon enough as a possible scary step hospitals may have to take as hospital beds reach the limit. you are watching "today in the bay."

welcome back. here is a look at our top stories for today. >> the moderna vaccine is on its way to the bay area. "today in the bay's" jackie ward with a look at when counties will get the critical doses. jackie? >> reporter: between today and tomorrow tens of thousands of

doses from moderna will be coming and they're expecting to get the most out of this batch at least. they anticipate getting more than 39,000 doses tomorrow. marin county and alameda county's group to seek input on vaccine prioritization. we expect to learn more about doses heading to all nine bay area counties in the coming days. when pfizer's vaccine was being shipped these shots are being monitored. the first vials of the vaccine are on the way to nearly 4,000 locations. between moderna and pfizer nearly 8 million vaccines have been allocated. jackie ward, "today in the bay." thank you, jackie. governor gavin newsom is back in quarantine once again after a member of his staff tested positive for coronavirus. according to his office so far the governor and all staff

member who came into contact with the individual have tested negative. they'll all be tested again as pro protocol. a ten-day quarantine so the governor will be working from home. it is the second time this month the governor has been quarantined. hospitals across the state are on the verge of becoming overwhelmed. "today in the bay's" bob redell is in walnut creek with the hospitals that soon may have to ration care. this is the sort of thing we've been fearing, bob. >> reporter: good morning to you, kris. we know at least one health care system in los angeles that's looking at the possibility of rationing health care, not clear if that's something that would happen up here with our hospitals in the bay area. we know the availability of icu beds is at dangerous levels here in our area. only 8% remain here in contra costa county. you can see on your tv screen san mateo, santa clara and solano counties in the red with fewer than 15% of icu beds

available. some hospitals in the san joaquin and southern california area have already hit zero percent capacity and the surge in covid is expected to get worse after christmas which could force hospitals in southern california to ration health care, basically withholding health care from one patient so another patient gets to live. >> it appears that in january we'll have an overflow of patients and sadly will need to do hard decisions to choose who gets the ventilator, who will need to be disconnected because they don't have a chance to survive. >> reporter: the doctor you heard from down in socal tells our sister station in los angeles this is the last line of defense. and right now it's being crushed by this recent surge, as i mentioned. keep in mind still a lot of emergencies not related to covid -- trauma, emergency surgeries, heart attacks and the like. reporting live here in walnut creek, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> bob, thank you. a live look around the bay

area. you saw right there in bob's live shot it was foggy in walnut creek. san jose, san francisco not too bad. at least by the golden gate bridge. now this is still under a spare the air alert for us today, and you are being asked not to burn wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel both indoors and outdoors. something to be mindful of today as we head through this monday. meteorologist kari hall tracking what we can expect in the forecast today. kari? yeah, we're starting out with the tule fog in the north bay and east bay but then the rest of the bay sunny reaching into the low 60s and we will see some rain moving in by christmas day. mike, you've been tracking the commute. how is it looking right now? >> the bay bridge toll plaza, very light traffic. no metering lights. a clear view here. blocking two lanes at coolidge.

and this is what kari has been talking about. very dense fog. be careful. >> that will do it for us this monday morning. good morning welcome relief welcome relief congress reaches a new deal y overnight on a $900 billion covid relief package. >> more help is on the way. >> better late than never. this morning, what it means to the millions of americans struggling and when you can expect those long-awaited checks to final arrive new strain a coronavirus mutation in the uk is spreading even faster than the first one, as london goes on lockdown and the world begins closing its doors on the british. but ist