health insurance shouldn't be one of them. at covered california, every plan is comprehensive, covering everything from preventive care to mental health. covered california is the only place that offers financial help for health insurance, and now, there's more help for more people. and free assistance from experts to get more californians covered. starting with you. covered california. this way to health insurance. enroll by december 15th. right now at 11:00 it is the strongest surge yet and south bay health leaders are sounding the alarm. we'll break down the numbers that have them concerned. also -- >> restaurant owners are fighting back. why they say help from the city and state isn't enough and what they plan to do next. and just a week from today the first covid vaccines could

be here in the bay area. a look at how hospitals are getting ready for that rollout. but even when that vaccine arrives we'll be a long way from getting back to normal. what else has to happen after we get vaccinated? well, the numbers are grim and santa clara county's top doctor is calling this surge the most significant and the most worrisome of the pandemic saying the situation has changed dramatically just over the past few weeks. >> the vaccine is almost here, but it will take months at least before we feel the real impact. bottom line, it'll continue to be dangerous early until next spring. in santa clara county which is the biggest koubcounty in the b area, 725 new cases reported today. the positivity rate 5.4%, and it's up about 2% in the last two weeks. icu bed availability that's a big concern. santa clara county at 16%

availability. san mateo, marin and sonoma counties all in the red. you can see sonoma county 4%, marin county 11%. this means they have less than 15% availability. nbc bay area's cheryl hurd has a closer look why health leaders say the numbers are surging. >> reporter: if you wondered what a city on lock down looks like, this is it. as we drove through downtown campbell outdoor dining tents are empty, hair and nail salons closed. all of this comes as santa clara county sees a significant surge in cases of covid-19. dr. sarah cody painted a dire picture. for the board of supervisors today she says it's worrisome and the surge is not slowing down. >> while these recent cases some not even populated on our dashboard likely reflect the surge from thanksgiving we anticipated, but the contribution of that surge is

still not even reflected in the numbers that you see. >> reporter: a surge in case and a surge in hospitalizations. regional medical center of san jose is at capacity but still accepting patients through its emergency room. there are close to 70 covid-19 patients here. >> we are using some of our overflow areas such as our post-acute care unit for our operating room. we're using some of those beds since we've reduced most of our elective cases. >> reporter: an a national level dr. anthony fauci says the full fall out from thanksgiving hasn't happened yet, he worries about another surge following the christmas holiday due to people traveling and mixing. stanford emergency medical professor sam shin is seeing an increase in the number of people being tested for covid, and he says it's hard to predict the

surge once the holidays are over. >> our hope is that it ends with the vim lns people exhibit and also with a vaccine around the corner, that these are things we hope to mitigate and contain the surge. >> reporter: cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news. >> we were warned about that post-thanksgiving surge. and here we are. thanksgiving thursday 12,000 cases reported in california. let's fast forward. december 1st now all of a sudden we're getting into the red here. 20,000 cases since december 1st, and then december 5th here we are at 30,000 cases. another perspective, how do we compare to last summer? our peak in july 12,000 new daily cases. thus week more than double, 30,000 daily cases. well, tonight marks what we hope is the beginning of the end of covid-19. the first dose of that pfizer vaccine was given in england. here in the bay area medical

facilities and local governments are expected the updated approval of that pfizer vaccine this week and for millions in the u.s. to roll-up their sleeves and get vaccinated next week. nbc bay area's terry mcsweeney has more. >> reporter: in england today where the pfizer vaccine was already approved 90-year-old grandmother margaret keenan was the first to receive it. the same vaccine is expected to be approved by the fda this week followed by 327,000 doses arriving in california with vaccinations possibly beginning on tuesday. >> early indications from the county may be for sonoma county we receive somewhere around 4,000 doses. >> reporter: its review of the data released today suggests pfizer's vaccine is 50% effective after the first dose, 95% effective after the second.

you see one such freezer in the santa memorial hospital video. this unit alone could store more than 200,000 doses. >> there is a level of excitement. there's a source of hope. >> reporter: he's confident in the supply and storage of the vaccine. he's hoping there's a high demand for it as well. >> we also know the importance of being able to in the community the safety of the vaccine and making sure that people do get vaccinated. >> pfizer says it can't ship more doses to the u.s. until next summer because other countries bought up supplies first. the white house didn't buy more last summer because it's counting on several different vaccines according to dr. scott gottlieb, who's now a member of pfizer's board. and more vaccines do appear to be on the way. moderna is expected to be approved by the fda next week. johnson & johnson expecting the green light in january.

terry mcsweeney, nbc bay area news. >> terry, thank you. phase three clinical trials were published today in a peer reviewed journal. and it confirmed the initial findings. how well it worked depended on dosage. two standard doses were 62% effective. but among participants who mistakenly received a low dose followed by a standard dose, the vaccine was 90% effective. some experts say because of the discrepancy in the doses the vaccine will likely take longer to be approved here in the u.s. by the fda. we have a lot more analysis and answers. in less than 10 minutes from now what exactly is herd immunity, and how do we achieve it. >> we ask an expert what happens next. one more county on lockdown tonight. new covid restrictions kicked in from marin county.

marin joining alameda, san francisco, contra costa and santa clara counties all following similar guidelines which means no indoor or outdoor dining. on the brink of closure some restaurant owners are demanding money back from the government. and a legal challenge to the state's ban on outdoor dining may be next. nbc bay area's gejean elle has more from san francisco. >> reporter: with bank accounts running low they're fighting for every dollar, and in some cases that means taking legal action. >> we're in survival mode. hope wale we can make it. >> reporter: under california's new stay at home order the blue right is back to take out only. but the bills for state and local licenses keeps mounting. >> they're a couple thousand dollars in fees every year, and they all add up. >> we put eight tables out. >> reporter: john says as long as he can't fully operate those payments should be returned or forgiven, not deferred.

>> please forgive these permit fees or license fees just during this time. >> reporter: the san francisco mayor london breed announced new measures to help small businesses yesterday, but he says what's being offered locally and at the state level just isn't enough. >> we've got to file a lawsuit on behalf of all the restaurants in california against the state and against various counties who have kept their money in order to get the money back. >> reporter: he's not the only one turning to the court looking for relief for business owners. in los angeles a legal challenge against the county health department's ban on outdoor dining has a judge demanding county officials prove it contributes to the spread of covid-19. the state's top health official didn't specifically address the ban today but says staying home is the best choice. >> rather than focus on the sector by sector restrictions, the top of our message is as much as you can stay at home, we know that it works.

g >> reporter: attorneys say without a concrete link the state should expect the same legal challenge l.a. county is facing. >> the government has to establish a legal basis for prohibiting outdoor dining. >> reporter: he says he and his staff need answers and income. >> let outdoor restaurants continue. this helps us survive, helps put employees to work. quite a scene in san jose today, hundreds of people crowded outside the county courthouse to support their pastor. you can see very few of them wearing masks. the pastor is accused of repeatedly breaking covid restrictions on his indoor services. a judge fined the church $2,500 for every day it's held services. that's amounts to $55,000. the pastor says he's answering to a higher authority. >> i respect the judge. i understand, you know, what the laws are, but there's a bigger law. when i have to get told you've

either got to follow god or follow man, i have to follow what gods word says. >> attorneys for the church say they'll appeal today's decision. our coverage continues online. we're tracking the number of cases in the bay area county by county. to see where things stand in your area, head to nbcbayarea.com. how long is it going to take for thing tuesday get back to normal, any kind of normal? the hurdles that still need to be cleared once the vaccinations begin. our race for a vaccine series is just ahead. also the pandemic taking a financial hit in one of the bay area's biggest universities. the tough decision cal just announced. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. i'll have more on our cold temperatures for tomorrow and what i'm seeing about rain chances into december. you might like what's coming our way. we'll see you back here in about 7 minutes.

take a look. rare to have fire danger in december, but it's that dry and that windy. this is new video of the brush fires down in southern california. there is good news at this hour. firefighters have gained the upper hand. the larger of the two fires burning at the bottom of a dry river bed between ventura and oxnard. this is right off 101 and 33, the highway down there. it's charred about 50 acres. about 20 miles north the other fire has burned about 10 acres. no word yet on what sparked them. well, a big pay out from the catholic church in a bay area sex abuse case. $3.5 million is what the oakland dioceses paid to settle a lawsuit brought by a former seminarian who says he was raped by a livermore priest back in 2017. filed the lawsuit as a john doe saying he was 25 years old when the priest assaulted him at st. michaels church in livermore.

police searched the church. the d.a. never filed charges against the priest. the seminarians attorney says the settlement will not heal his wounds. >> it had been his life's dream to become a priest. it was not only his faith which he lost but his complete support system and network of friends. that was his community. >> the dioceses sent us a statement late today saying neither the priest admitted any guilt as part of the settlement. he's been placed on leave and not allowed to serve as a priest. berkeley planning to rollout uc berkeley wide reaching pay cuts to help offset shrinking finances cause r caused by the pandemic. in a letter to the staff the chancellor says the new plan includes reduced hours for union represented employees. nonunion staff andphicalty members will see furloughed days

and pay cuts for at least a year. and this rollout is expected to begin in february. we mentioned earlier in this newscast the vaccine could be on its way arriving here in the bay area next week. but don't be fooled. we are not in the clear. masks and social distancing will still be the norm presumably for months. so what needs to happen fortu u to get back to normal? >> for more than ten months we have endured covid-19. we watched businesses struggling to survive, a nation behind masks with more than 275,000 dead in the u.s. from the virus. but as a second spike spreads more havoc across the country a potential savior is arriving in the form of a new vaccine. >> vaccines aren't going to save a single life but vaccination is. >> reporter: what dr. george rutherford means by that is the success of the vaccine will

depend on getting it to as many people as possible. >> having the vaccine ready to go is terrific. you've got the logistics and the cold chain worked out, but it's got to get in peoples arms to make a difference. >> reporter: pfizer says its vaccine has 95% efficacy. say around half the test group was given a placebo and then exposed to the virus. in that scenario 100% of the placebo group would get the virus. but for the other half given the actual vaccine and then exposed to the virus only 5% would get covid, 95% would by immune. >> to have a vaccine that has an efficacy of 95%, that's just remarkable. that's as good as our best vaccine. >> reporter: so how many people have to get vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity? by the way, that's a veterinary term describing what proportion of a herd of animals has to have

immunity so the virus has nothing to infect? the virus has a harder time getting to me, and if it does find me it has no place to go. rutherford says we've learned a lot about covid and herd immunity by watching its rapid spread through places like san quentin prison or on cruise ships. >> we think herd immunity lies somewhere in 70%. >> reporter: there will need to be enough doses of the vax teen to inoculate 60% to 70% of the population, and then there will be some who refuse to get it. rutherford says the science is complex, but the math is simple. >> if we don't get a large enough proportion everyone's going to be walking around without masks this time next year. >> we've created a special race for a vaccine section right there on our website. we're posting all our stories in one spot. just go to

nbcbayarea.com/vaccine. beautiful but dangerous conditions along the coast today in pacifica. a man has been missing since this morning after waves crashed over him. this is near beach boulevard and paloma avenue. witnesses say the man had hopped the railing along the rocks against the sea wall. people tried to throw him a rope but he just wasn't able to grab it. rescue crews spent most of the day looking for the man but have suspended that search for this evening. and for the surfers it's been an epic day, an epic 24 hours at maverick, huge waves. our sky ranger was overhead capturing some of the best surfers in the world, 25 to 40 foot waves. volunteers and rescue boats were also on hand keeping a close eye making sure everyone was safe. many of the big wave surfers were saying these are the best conditions at mavericks in the past five years. have you ever tried it, jessica? >> that would be a firm no. i can't even go in the water. >> jeff is with us.

how you doing, jeff? >> oh, man, i'm doing good. i did some surfing in florida growing up, but nothing quite like that, that's for sure. we do have some really beautiful weather coming our way as we roll through tomorrow and holding onto some shower chances. let's get you into tomorrow morning's forecast. look, we know there's not much we can do with our shelter at home orders a lot of us have here, and there's these restrictions in place, of course. but if you have to get up early, walk the dog, temperatures will be cold to start. down to 38 here for the tri-valley, south bay at 40, so you need that jacket. 38 for the north bay, and east bay also at 39 with just a little bit of cloud cover to start. overall temperatures tomorrow i see it dropping off by about 2 to 5 degrees, partly cloudy skies for the afternoon. so instead of those low 70s we're dropping it back into the 60s. 67 in san jose, 65 in livermore, and san francisco 63, and napa,

68. we've been stuck in this pattern as i've been talking about for quite some time, so i wanted to get a broader look at the problem and high pressure, rain season dismal from that stubborn area of high pressure. basically pushing this storm system that developed well-off to the north. so what do we see happening? right now based on what's coming our way the next seven days i do see a few shower chances as we head sunday into monday. and december 16th into the 31st i'm calling right now for a 70% chance of at least one storm bringing a quarter to a half-inch, also some colder than average temperatures. this definitely is at least a turn in the right direction. lanina is also developing and that's definitely known to keep this stubborn area of high pressure out through the pacific. i also do see a bit of wind here, a quick burst of winds

thursday afternoon and evening. again, a very short duration event. then that chance of showers sunday and monday. for the inland valleys we'll go from those low 70s we've had recently all the way down to the 50s this weekends with that chance of showers coming our way. so that'll be definitely some good news for our most immediate fire danger. can you imagine me about 10 years old hanging ten out in florida in the water? >> i actually can. yes. >> and warm waters. >> so nice and warm. >> thank you, jeff. up next do it yourself. the new covid testing service being offered in the south bay. happening now the santa clara board of supervisors unanimously voted today to put a temporary cap on fees charged by delivery services like door dash and uber eats and grub hub. it's a move to curb what some are calling price gouging during the stay at home order. it would not effect the pay for

food delivery drivers, though. we're back with more. (soft music) hey dad, i'm about to leave. don't forget your hat . good morning. how can i help? i need help connecting with my students. behind every last minute save, ok, that works. and holiday surprise, thank you! a customer service rep is working unseen, making it happen. and at genesys, we're proud to help them help you everyday.

new at 11:00, he's done it. he's gone to texas after months of threatening to leave california because of our covid restrictions elon musk has made good on his promise. another big reason to move, by the way, no state taxes in texas. so the billionaire will save a bundle. however, musk is keeping tesla's headquarters in palo alto and the manufacturing plant in the east bay. back in may you might remember elon musk was not happy. he filed a lawsuit after regulators shutdown the fremont plant during the early stages of the pandemic.

despite his move to texas musk says there is a great advantage to having the only car company still manufacturing in california. okay now to tonight's making it in the bay series. it is a renters market in san francisco, something that hasn't happened in a really long time. layoffs combined with work from home policies have brought the rental market in san francisco from boom to bust. according to realtor.com there's been a 35% drop in studio apartment rents, 25% drop in one bedroom apartment rents. meanwhile housing prices in the city have steadily gone up during this pandemic. a new way to get a coronavirus test in the south bay, a self-testing site is now open at epannual baptist church in san jose. no appointment needed. the test is simple, fast and free, just a nasal swab while a trained observer not necessarily a health care professional watches you. the idea is the diy testing site will increase the number of people getting tested and

hopefully curb the surging numbers faster. we are back in a moment. we're going to check in with warriors practice. stay with us.

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it's just kind of weird but before you know it the nba season is going to begin or so

we think. >> we think. the warriors first preseason game is this saturday at chase center against the blazers. today day two of training camp. steph and the guys were all there with the exception of two guys. those two are recovering from the coronavirus. coach kerr says wiseman will be at a disadvantage to start the season but he's watching plenty of videotape to prepare for his rookie campaign. the regular season kicks off december 22nd in brooklyn against k.d. and the nets. here's the bottom line, four teams are ahead of them in the race for the final playoff spot in the nfc, so the niners need to beat washington on sunday. how about tuesday night football? another make-up game. cowboys and ravens. minutes before the game that's the ravens wide receiver des brian was pulled out of the line-up because he tested positive for covid. after the game itself

baltimore's lamar jackson recovering from covid leading the ravens tonight they beat the cowboys 34-17. we're back in a moment. this year, xfinity internet gives you more options than a holiday dinner table. pick the speed that's right for you, with options faster than gig. and get reliable internet with top-notch coverage. plus, help keep your data safe and private with security included. no antlers on the table. how come you get to eat first? get started with this great offer, or ask about our fastest speed, 2 gig up and down. switch today.

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finally tonight bringing a beloveled classic childrens story to life. tomorrow nbc is airing a two hour production of dr. seuss the musical, the grinch musical. glee actor matthew morrison will headline the show as the grinch. you can watch tomorrow night right here at 8:00 on nbc bay area. that's going to be fun. >> i know exactly what you're going to be doing tomorrow night in the newsroom. >> i'm going to be singing along. >> you love this stuff. and we're going to be hearing it. that's going to do it for us here at 11:00. >> stay healthy. [ cheers and applause ♪