officer made that announcement outside city hall today. here's what we know about the first u.s. case of the omicron variant. the person returned from south africa on november 22 and began to show symptoms. they were tested on the 28th and were confirmed as carrying the omicron variant on november 29th. they had received the moderna vaccine but no booster shot and were said to have had only minor symptoms. health officials say they understand this is a headline, but it was expected. >> this is not a surprise. for those of you that have been following this, we knew that omicron was going to be here. we thought it was already here. we just hadn't detected it yet. so this is cause for concern, but it is also certainly not a cause for us to panic. we are prepared here in the city. >> dr. colfax says every close contact of the patient has tested negative and says the best advice hasn't changed. just get vaccinated. he also says that right now they

don't anticipate making any changes to the health order of imposing new restrictions in san francisco. saying desperate times call for desperate measures. passengers at sfo are ready for more covid testing if that's what it takes to stay safe now that the omicron variant has arrived in the u.s. scott budman spent the day at sfo. we have been talking. yesterday we mentioned this pilot program. and this could be really now we see the first line of defense against omicron. >> reporter: yeah, jessica, you mentioned it just a bit ago. no surprise. passengers tell us they expected more variants and they expected more variants to land here where people come from all over the world. they also tell us they are ready for more testing. with word that omicron has arrived in the bay area, covid testing is spreading through sfo. >> trying to identify when new variants are entering the country. >> reporter: and passengers are lining up to take the test. >> desperate times calls for desperate measures.

>> reporter: the airport is expanding its testing program to include passengers coming in from south africa, france, germany, and the uk where omicron has been detected. they are one of a handful of u.s. airports doing this. >> since october we have been doing a pilot program with the cdc to essentially test for new variants entering the united states. >> reporter: sfo also says it expects the biden administration to soon require travelers entering the u.s. to get a covid test 24 hours before they fly even if they're vaccinated. passengers here tell us they're onboard. >> i think we're all in this together. i think it's been, like, a very confusing time. i, myself, like, am in the midst of trying to figure out if i cancel my international flight. we are operating from the space of not knowing what's going on. >> it's a rude awakening and it's just for people to be aware of the fact that this is real.

>> reporter: nbc news is also reporting that the biden administration is expected to announce that that federal mask mandate on public transportation, including airline flights, will be extended through mid-march. live at sfo, scott budman. meantime, a couple hours ago sonoma county held a virtual news conference to answer questions for people living there about the omicron variant. they say there are no confirmed cases of the new variant in sonoma county but expect to see it in the future. they are also testing the most current cases in the county. >> since the discovery of the omicron variant in south africa, we have updated our data analysis workflows and retroactively reviewed thousands sequences to see if we missed any omicron variants here locally. i am happy to say that we have not missed any omicron variants here locally.

>> all right. so officials also say 74% of sonoma county residents 5 years and older are fully vaccinated. let's dig deeper. dr. chin-hong is here every night with us. doctor, let's talk about were you a little stunned when you woke up today and you heard the first place in the u.s. that has omicron is right here in the bay area? >> well, i was surprised in one way because we have no direct flights from south africa or joey chestnut. but not surprised because the bay area has been at the forefront of sequencing. we are the people who discovered the original sars virus. because of that collaboration with public health and academic medicine, we found it first. it's not that this was the first place it landed, it was the

first place detected in the united states. >> did you think, oh, here we go again, or are you cautious, cautiously optimistic that because we got it so early, we are going to be able to stem the tide here? >> i'm optimistic for many reasons, yes. there are many silver linings in this. if you look at south africa, there were no fully vaccinated people so far by reports who got omicron. there were only either partially vaccinated or mainly 65% unvaccinated. the individual who got it wasn't boosted, but he was fully vaccinated. was very mild. that's what we expect in terms of preventing serious disease, hospitalization and death regardless of the variant. >> so this move, the travel restrictions that are in now didn't stop omicron from coming here because the person coming from south africa actually lives in san francisco and u.s. citizens, obviously, are allowed into this country. so it's not like the virus distinguishes citizenship.

should other measures, now that we know it's coming into the u.s., be put in place? >> well, i think one measure that people are debating is whether or not all travelers get rapid screening at the time of entering into the united states. they are also shortening the period of time from three days to one day by having a negative test. but you will have people -- like you said, for citizens and permanent residents, you don't really have to have such a stringent testing requirement. vaccinated probably three days. i think this is all in flux, you know, but be probably need to amp up the testing game once you arrive here, you know, it really detect all of this. >> so the governor earlier today said that the person who got it, who came into the u.s., was fully vaccinated. moderna vaccine is what i understand they had. they shnt gotten the booster because they hadn't met the six

months qualification to have the booster. what does that tell you about the efficacy of the vaccines if the person was able to get it before they were even eligible to get the booster or is that a good thing because they didn't really get that sick? >> i think the answer is yes and yes. do realize that the six-month mark is just sort of like a public health recommendation, but there is probably a range in individuals at which point vaccine efficacy against infection wayns. but i will never expect this particular individual if fully vaccinated to get very ill, and that's what exactly happened. the crazy amazing thing is that nobody he was in contact with after arrival to the u.s. got omicron or even covid. >> okay. so let's bring one of the questions from our viewers. so what are the symptoms for omicron? and the severity? i mean, there has kind of been a

little bit of different varying opinions on whether it's going to be more severe or less severe. what do you know so far? >> so, so far, what we know from south africa is that the symptoms are mild, even in unvaccinated individuals who were there, but they were mainly younger individuals. their population is younger, not as many comorbidities as the u.s. nevertheless, they were like headache and feeling fatigued, but no loss of taste and smell, no shortness of breath, no sore throat even. so i think they are a little bit atypical and very mild. so could this be the way that many people are predicting, maybe covid is going to evolve into this kind of cold-like virus, maybe omicron is that wave of new covid variants that will end up being more of a nuisance than a real killer. i hope so. >> that would be great if it's more like a cold than anything we have seep before.

thank you so much. we will see you tomorrow. >> thank you. >> very important information there. all right. so this sounds almost unbelievable. santa clara county murder suspects are being released by judges on little or no bail. critics say it's astonishing. supporters say it's not that simple. at least one of those murder suspects is now believed to have fled the country. >> reporter: police are frustrated. they arrested a homicide suspect back in january and now, because of a judge's decision, they have to search for him again. oscar soto allegedly killed a man in san jose on january 10th. san jose police arrested him the next day. now police say they believe soto has fled to mexico because a judge released him on what's called sorp, supervised own recognizance program, essentially, released without bail. >> we are furious. when you remove all

accountability for bad behavior, you are emboldening criminals to commit nor crime. >> reporter: more crime. >> reporter: other suspects out of quds, too, including this man. court documents show the judge put him on house arrest with a few restrictions like submit to searches. his alleged accomplice was also placed on supervised release. and marguerite auto santillan accused of killing a 13-year-old boy in san jose is also out on sorp and $100,000 bond. san jose mayor sam licardo says the victims' family and the community deserve better. >> i appreciate the need for bail reform, but the pendulum has swung too far and this is imperilling our communities. there is no reason why a murder suspect should be released without bail on his own recognizance. >> the president of the san jose police union says something needs to be changed. >> our legislators, groups like the aclu that are supporting

these types of measures and initiatives that are weakening our communities, they are not even making it less safe. they are making it outright dangerous. >> we reached out to the aclu, which issued this statement saying, efforts by police associations in san jose and nationwide to link california's voter approved justice reforms and pretrial justice measures to an alleged increase in crime are disinagainous and exploit crime victims and families. in san jose, marianne favreau. up next, taking steps to stop it from happening again. the moves walnut creek made to keep retail robbers away. ready to walk in the rose parade. the bay area woman who got a second chance at life and isn't letting anything pass her by. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. a chilly 57 in liverpool right now. how cold for tomorrow morning and i'm also tracking fog.

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enjoy the gift of being together. the binaxnow covid-19 antigen self test has the same technology used by doctors and detects multiple variants. so in just 15 minutes, you can test, know, and go. available in stores and online. it was mountain intended to help local economies bounce back from the pandemic, but now one city in the east bay is uses millions of federal dollars to hire more police and upgrade surveillance cameras on the heels of that nordstrom mob robbery. the city of walnut creek voted today to ramp up police presence and buy a high-tech drone that will give police a heads up if another caravan of thieves is they hadded their way.

melissa colorado joins us live from walnut creek with a closer look at the plan to fend off any future coordinated retail thefts. it looks like police are admitting they need the help. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely. today walnut creek police admitted they were essentially outnumbered that night that a mob of 90 people targeted this nordstrom right behind me. that's one of the reasons why the city council decided to use federal stimulus dollars to hire more police officers and additionally revamp their surveillance camera system. let's take you back to the city council meeting that happened earlier today. the weeknd city council voted to spend $2 million of american rescue plan act funding on beefing up public safety. the city wants to hire five extra police officers and set aside additional money for police overtime, plus the city wants to upgrade their surveillance camera system and repair the few cameras that are

not working. the city also wants to buy a high-tech tethered drone that will give police a heads up if a caravan of thieves is heading downtown. >> a drone that will allow us to have a bird's-eye view of what's happening in the shopping district which doesn't have to be manned. >> having this extra police presence will, hopefully, deter people -- the bad people from coming to downtown walnut creek. >> reporter: all right. >> so i'm wondering was there any pushback over the city choosing to use the stimulus money from the feds to boost police funding? >> reporter: yeah, audrey, there was at least one resident, a woman who spoke up during the public comment portion of today's city council meeting and essentially what this woman said is this is emergency funding and the city ought to use that to help combat covid, public health measures as well as non-profits doing work in the city. we heard from the mayor and an overwhelming number of city councils who say that securing downtown walnut creek

specifically this shopping center, that is paramount because this not only impacts residents of walnut creek, but also the people in the east bay who come here to shop and who come here to work as well. audrey, we will send it back to you. >> thanks so much. well, a bay area woman got a second chance at life seven years ago. soon she will take part in a buns in a life experience. she received a kidney transplant on new year's eve. she will walk alongside a donate life float in the annual rose parade in pasadena. a small ceremony was held. an important message was also sent. >> get the word out that donation is what we need to do to get people like hilda treated. >> i think it's very important. i didn't know. so now i am going to sign up already and it's very important for people to be a donor. >> now, mrs. martinez doesn't

speak english. when asked about her transplant she said, it's a miracle. congratulations to her. that's going to be fun to be in the rose bowl parade. and if our weather streak continues, it will be dry. >> i know. we won't rain in here, but we will do whatever we can, right? let's get you in here to our forecast. yes, today was just bizarre. the first of december and it was 10, 15 degrees above average and it was bizarre enough to set new records. conquered 71 today shall the old record 68 set in 2013. these are the new official numbers. that just came in. san jose 75 degrees. the old record 72. they haven't been this warm this time of the year since 1907. so way out of whack for us. all right. let's move it into tomorrow's forecast. we will get you all ready to go for that thursday.

we will see this unusual weather from this area of high pressure. this is what's keeping the rainfall, the storm track away as we move into the upcoming weekend. it's moving up there to the north of us through seattle and canada. so we get the hazy skies, a little bit ever fog and then this maul little system will move in from the south and increase high clouds through the afternoon. let's get into the fog for the morning. the past few mornings some dense areas of fog and we see more chances tomorrow north bay, east bay, south bay, even for the peninsula with the densest fog over the central valley. this should clear out by 10:00 and 11:00 in the morning. then we will see high clouds filter in tomorrow midday. also into the afternoon. so as we start off tomorrow morning, it will be chilly with 46 in the south bay, peninsula 47. tri-valley at 42. over the north bay, san francisco 50 and the east bay at 45. daytime highs tomorrow, the number one spot will be right here in the south bay.

warmest temperatures 73 in san jose, 75 gilroy. in the east bay some of that patchy dense ground fog will limit the temperatures from going up. at 66 in antioch, 67 in concord, hayward at 70. through the peninsula, 67 in san mateo, palo alto 71, san francisco some light winds, and 64 in the marina, 66 in the outer sunset. off to the north bay, 68 in novato, low 70s clear lakes. the seven-day forecast offers a slight chance of showers next monday and tuesday. the possibility is low, but we could get a few sprinkles next monday and tuesday. across the inland valleys at 37 for the average tomorrow, 65 saturday, 66 on sunday. christmas decorations to put up this weekend. some relaxing. whatever you got planned, i think it's going to play out for you well. >> excellent weekend to do it. >> right? >> yes, totally. >> thanks. >> you got it.

get ready to pay more to cross the bay bridge and every other bridge in the bay area. tolls are going up again. but exactly when?

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okay. get ready for another hit to your wallet. bay area bridges tolls are going open. a live look at the san mateo bridge. one of seven state-owned bridges that you will have to pay an extra dollar to use starting, yes, new year's day. you will be paying $7 instead of $6. the golden gate bridge is the only one in the bay area not included on this list. second toll of three toll increases voters approved a few years ago. the first one hit in 2019. where is that money going? it's being held in an escrow account for now to pay for road and transit improvements. if the a's leave the oakland

for las vegas, the a's would like to build a stadium on the old trap can a hotel site. if it doesn't work, one owned which win las vegas. a corporation that owns the tropicana declined to comment on the a's, whether they're moving there as the a's decline to comment, too. meanwhile, the team continues to work with the oakland on a possibility to build a ballpark and stay here instead at howard terminal. caton who tried to carpool is now available for adoption on the peninsula. courtney was rescued last month. you might remember, she was reported stranded on highway 101 in san mateo. the peninsula humane society managed to capture her with a net. she was only 6 weeks old at the time. because of her road rash, the veterinarian guessed she was stowed away in a nice warm car engine and fell off on to the roadway. courtney is fully recovered, healthy. >> friendly. her $120 adoption fee covers fees, spaying and microchip. >> super cute. up next, a moving tribute on

the sidewalk. we will show you how the castro is marking world aids day. the xfinity black friday sales event is happening now on xfinity mobile. now new and existing customers can get our best wireless deal of the year - up to $1,000 in savings - for a limited time only. on the most reliable network nationwide, plus nationwide 5g. act now and save up to $1,000 with xfinity mobile. so you can go all out on gifts for the family - during our best wireless deal of the year... the xfinity black friday sales event.

click, call or visit a store today. we learn about covid-19, the more questions we have. the biggest question now, what's next? what will covid bring in six months, a year? if you're feeling anxious about the future, you're not alone. calhope offers free covid-19 emotional support. call 833-317-4673, or live chat at calhope.org today.

today in san francisco castro district honoring the victims of one pandemic in the midst of another. >> activists marked world aids day with colorful messages and illustrations done in chalk. some messages were personal to friends or loved ones lost to

hiv. others honored the estimated 36 million who have died since the outbreak began in 1981. the famed aids quilt was the inspiration for today's street art with the colors and messages of remembrance. tonight at 7:00 we will continue answering more questions when it comes to the omicron variant and it's a rival here. covid expert will be on hand to talk to us about how scientists found the variant. also a lock at that sequencing lab, what it does, how it works out. those conversations, join me tonight at 7:00. up next "nightly news," inside a port in illinois, a pressure point where 50% of international goods pass through. jacob looks at train traffic and how automation is helping get the job done. lester holt joins us now. tonight, the first case of the omicron variant identified in the u.s. the first patient a traveler in california who recently returned from south africa where the new variant was first reported dr. anthony fauci saying the patient is fully vaccinated and

had mild symptoms. concerns growing tonight, the new travel restrictions the u.s. is considering during the bu holiday season. also tonight the supreme court hearing the biggest challenge to abortion rights in decades. how the justices' signal they can rule. the first court appearance of the 15-year-old suspected in the deadly michigan high school shooting charged as an adult with murder and terrorism. it comes as the toll rises, a fourth student dying. and could the suspect's parents be charged too. and the bombshell new claims that then president trump tested positive for covid days before his first debate with joe biden. how trump is responding. the deadly beverly hills home invasion, wife of a legend killed