Midmorning With Aundrea - November 20, 2020 (Part 1)

(Part 1 of 4) In a huge move toward a coronavirus vaccine in the US, Pfizer and the German pharmaceutical company BioNTech are filing paperwork with the FDA for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine which has tested 95% effective.

A similar announcement has also come from the company Moderna about their version of the vaccine.

And Christmas decor is flying off the shelves as people adorn their homes with holiday cheer to help ease one of the worst years in recent history.

All retainers are it's a huge step toward a coronavirus vaccine.

The c-e-o for german pharmaceutical company biontech confirmed this week his company -- along with u-s partner pfizer -- will file paperwork on friday for the emergency use of its vaccine in the u- s mandy gaither has the latest.

Reporter pkg-as follows-- in the war on covid-19 -- it's a potential weapon showing promise.

The ceo of biontech says friday -- his company -- along with u-s partner pfizer will seek the green-light for their vaccine from the f-d-a.

Ugur sahin, biontech ceo/"ou goal is to supply several hundred million of doses in the first four to five months of 2021."

That vaccine now considered 95- percent effective in preventing infections, even in older adults, and caused no serious safety concerns.

It's the latest in a line of good news from vaccine- makers -- ÁmodernaÁ announcing this week similar success in efficacy in ÁtheirÁ vaccine -- the company also planning to file for f-d-a emergency use authorization soon -- after gathering more safety data later this month.

Dr. tal zaks/"we di not see a single case of severe disease, in the people who were vaccinated with our mrna vaccine against covid."

Moderna's vaccine is said to be more flexible -- because of the way its stored.

Dr. tal zaks/"ou vaccine requires only minus 20, which is a readily available freezer, that is available in most doctor's offices and pharmacies.

So we anticipate our vaccine should be able to be deployed to those locations without any difficulty."

For health minute, i'm mandy gaither.

With the holidays approaching.... millions of families are looking to buy toys for their kids.

But there are potential problems when searching on the web.

Laura podesta explains.

Online holiday shopping is in full swing and consumer advocates say parents need to watch out for some pitfalls when it comes to toys.

"a group of toy that should not be on the market at all and those are recalled toys."

During a virtual press conference the consumer advocacy group u- s pirg says they found several toys being sold online that had been recalled for safety reasons.

"dangerous an hazardous toys continue to slip through the cracks."

Laura: how do you know it's part of a recall?

Steve: yeah that is the challenge.

Now in the age which we live, you have to do your homework.

Steve pasierb is c- e-o of the toy association and says parents can visit playsafe.org to see if an item has been recalled.

The consumer product safety commission also lists recalls on it's site.

But it's not just recalled items that are a problem.

Some fake toys can be found on third party websites.

"there ar nefarious sellers all over the world using all the different online marketplaces to sell knockoff and counterfeit goods.

They do not follow safety guidelines, might contain things like lead paint."

The u-s pirg's report is warning parents about shopping for small children.

The group says searches like "toys for 2-year old boys" can tur up gifts for older kids.

And that can lead to toys with potential choking hazards like magnets.

"one thing tha everyone can do is take a toilet paper roll, you can use that to test your toys for small parts.

Anything that can fit inside a cylinder one and a quarter inches wide may be swallowed by children under three.

Laura podesta, cbs news, new york.

Most of the time, those enthusiastic early holiday decorators get at the very least - a raised eyebrow or two.

But this year.

Everything seems different.

Many people are determined to feel the holiday spirit.

Holiday lights and ornaments are flying off the shelves.

And more people than ever are decorating early.

Thanksgiving is still two weeks away but people are already looking forward to december.

Stacey butler shows us, the push to spread joy, is just what we need after a tough year.

This is fantastic!

This is just so..we need this.

It's christmas comes early.

Despite the fact that we have the virus we can still enjoy each other and enjoy the holiday season.

Finally.

2020 is getting a glow up.

Blake wardman/shopper 6:12:09 it feels great.

I don't think it could have come soon enough this year.

I think everybody's ready for the joy.

Sparkling stars..bright candy canes.

And kissing candids under the unmistakeable twinkle of the holiday glow.

Who cares if its not thanksgiving yet.

Its 20.

We need this.

6:16:34 i think it's beautiful and you know..this year..early is good.

Robby stretz/shopper 6:11:53 i think it's great.

I think we all could use a little more joy.

Sean murphy/shopper 6:12:17 i think it's good except when my wife wants me to decorate early.

I'm not into that part but this is great.

I love what other people have done.

Serena steinhaur/shopper 6:15:55 normally i'm not the first to put up the christmas decorations but this year it seems appropriate.

Mary bek bought these ornaments to put on her christmas tree thats already up.

Mary bek/shopper 6:18:15 i want to get into the christmas spirit.

I'm gonna miss my mom over thanksgiving but hopefully i can make it over for christmas.

Local shops that sell only holiday decorations say they can barely keep up with demand.

Walk ins and online orders at some stores have doubled.

For shoppers..its retail therapy.

Sprinkled with hope.

6:28:23 we got ornaments and pillows and i got some stuffed animals that have to do with grinch.

Carla torres/shopper 6:25:34 it takes out a lot of my anxiety, a distraction.

It feels nice.

Margarita arbizu/shopper 6:20:59 it's been a tough year.

6:21:10 it brings hope i think, everybody is jolly and waiting for the end of the year.

She's making history.

Meet the first black woman sh she's making history.

Meet the first black woman to serve as brigade commander for the u.s naval academy when midmorning