abc's dan lieberman has the story. >> reporter: with the u.s. death toll from covid now more than 700,000, vaccine mandates going into effect today that will cost some people their jobs if they don't have at least one shot. >> i felt shocked, surprised, heartbroken. my students mentioned me fridss. i am not allowed to talk to them even though i gave hem a heads-up that this is it. >> reporter: the largest school district, 93% of teachers have had at least one shot, well above the national average. >> i cannot imagine giving up my 24-year career because i didn't get a vaccine. the more people get vaccinated, hopefully the more lives we could save, and so i was all for the vaccine mandate. >> reporter: in connecticut, the national guard is standing by to fill any critical shortages as a mandate for state employees takes effect tonight. >> there will be some people who say, hell no, and i'm sorry, but that means you're not safe. you're not safe to the people around you. >> reporter: and in california, the governor taking a first in the nation step

here's abc's dan lieberman. >> reporter: with new covid cases down 40% in the last three weeks and 15% fewer deaths since mid-september, many are asking are we finally turning the corner. >> we're finally turning a corner on this specific surge. there's been some peaks and valleys and it's hard to tell if this is going to stay low forever but at least we're in good shape. >> reporter: still some cities taking no chances doubling down. new york city considering more vaccine mandates for city workers including police and firefighters with no more testing alternative. in los angeles, passing a new mandate requiring proof of vaccination or a negative covid test to enter indoor restaurants and other venues starting november 4th. the only exception, grocery stores and pharmacies. >> been in the hospital for 76 days now. >> reporter: federal officials also trying to get the word out with a new psa campaign featuring covid survivors making the case for the vaccine. >> reporter: so i highly recommend everybody to get the vaccines and really protect themselves because this is no joke. >> reporte

here's abc's dan lieberman. >> reporter: the biden administration's booster rollout is off to a good start. >> we estimate that over 7 million americans will have gotten their booster shot, including about 3 million just in the last week. >> reporter: with results from a highly anticipated study from the national institutes of health, finding no matter the booster, mixing and matching vaccines is likely safe and effective. for those that got the johnson & johnson shot, the study finding higher antibody levels, with the moderna or pfizer booster. >> while this is exciting, it's based on small sample sizes. it givesf we seneeks. or aey aor panel is t discuss moderna and johnson & johnson booster data, to determine if they should be authorized. meanwhile, the fda may be weeks away from approving pfizer's vaccine for children 5 to 11. the white house purchasing 65 million doses. >> pediatricians are great at managing vaccinations. we hope our pediatricians will be ready. >> reporter: this as the fight over mandates heats up. in texas, lawmakers now considering a bill that governor greg a

abc's dan lieberman has the latest. >> we do have a unanimous 19 out of 19 yes votes. >> reporter: a key vote from the fda panel yesterday recommending a third booster shot of the moderna vaccine to be given six months after the second dose for anyone 65 and older, 18 and older at high risk from an underlying health condition and whose job may be put at greater risk for exposure to the virus. the moderna vaccine remains highly effective showing less waning over time than pfizer and j&j. the moderna booster would be only a half dose, data showing that it's enough to restore protection. today the panel will review the johnson & johnson booster, along with data on the effectiveness of mixing vaccines. >> i suspect they may recommend a mixing and a matching strategy for j&j. we'll have to see what the panel really decides. >> reporter: ahead of that fda meeting, the president praised the country's vaccination efforts. >> it's working. we're making progress. nationally daily cases are down 47%. >> reporter: yet the battle over vaccine mandates and looming deadlines remain. in chicago, the

dan lieberman, abc news. >> dan, thank you. >>> law enforcement officials in tucson, arizona say a routine security check on board an amtrak train turned into a deadly shootout caught on camera. [ gunfire ] a d.e.a. agent killed in the gunfire was honored by fellow officers as his body was brought to the medical examiner. another agent and a local officer were wounded. one suspect was killed. another is in custody. the train was heading from l.a. to new orleans. the fbi is investigating. >>> turning to the pandemic, the number of children with covid is on the decline. about 173,000 cases were reported in the u.s. last week. the first time the number has dropped below 200,000 since mid august. the number of kids hospitalized with covid is also dropping. >>> johnson & johnson is expected to seek approval for its covid vaccine booster shot this week. an fda panel meets october 15th to consider emergency authorization. >>> the cdc is trying to clear up confusion about its holiday travel guidance. a website suggesting virtual holiday celebrations has now been taken down. cdc says new guidance i

here's dan lieberman. >> reporter: the justice department is considering whether to prosecute the fbi agents refusing to bring sexual abuse allegations against larry nasser, the former gymnastics team doctor, now in prison. accused of abusing 150 women. >> i am deeply sorry that in this case, the victims did not receive the response or the protection that they deserved. >> reporter: according to an investigation by the justice department inspector general, the fbi received its first report of abuse against nasser in 2015. as the february dragged its feet, nassar allegedly abused as many as 70 additional victims. >> because no one at fbi, usag or the usopc did what was necessary to protect us. we have been failed and we deserve answers. >> reporter: the country's top gymnasts say the fbi turned a blind eye to their reports of abuse. >> it was like serving innocent children up to a pedophile, on a silver platter. >> reporter: the inspector general's report accuses two fbi agents of mishandling evidence and making false statements. >> i was outraged by the inspector general's findings. >

dan lieberman, abc news. as if schools did not have enough to deal with right now, one south bay district is scrambling to put teachers in front of students because they have a sub shortage. amy hollyfield is here with the classroom crunch we are seeing in san jose. officials say they have lost about half of their substitute teachers. they usually can rely on having about 200 subs to call each day. now they are down to 100. with fewer people now willing to come to the classroom to teach, the unified school district is having to turn to other personnel, like counselors. counselors say this means they are giving kids in need less attention. administrators say this is not ideal, but they need everyone's help in this situation. >> ima full-time counselor. now i am an 80% counselor, 20% on-call stuff to do teacher. >> normally we count on 200 people a day to be able to 70 classroom. this will your -- sub in a classroom. this year, it is 100. people are not coming back in the same numbers yet. amy: counselors say,