plus a return to the court. new information about warriors forward draymond green, who is on an indefinite league suspension since last month. but first, a mask mandates return at

some us hospitals amid a jump in covid and flu cases. you're watching, getting answers. good afternoon i'm karina nova. we're focusing on soaring covid and flu cases this winter, among other big health headlines. joining us live now is abc seven news special correspondent doctor alok patel. happy new year. >> happy new year to you karina. >> let's hope for a healthy 2024. but it seems like it's off to a rough start for anyone that's battling the flu or covid right now. are we seeing a lot of cases at this point? we are. >> i have to remind people that what we're seeing is indicative of a typical cold and flu season. we are at these numbers that we saw pre-pandemic. but here is one thing that is kind of concerning is last year it looks like around this time we started to peak with influenza cases. we are still kind of rising right now. and with covid hospitalizations, we are seeing an increase over the past almost two months with some states, especially on the east coast, seeing a 3 to 60% increase in hospitalizations. so it's out there. >> well, in los angeles and new york, they reinstated their mask

mandates because of flu and covid cases. could we see that here in the bay area? >> we potentially could, especially in hospitals? i think that's the important thing right now on social media, you see all these echoes saying we don't want mandates and restrictions anymore. right now we are talking about health care settings and i have to remind people, when you go into a hospital, you already have a short staffed, overburdened hospital working crew who does not want to get sick. taking care of high risk patients who you don't want to get sick with, other patients who might be in the waiting room in the e.r, who have respiratory symptoms, who may be covid positive. so it's totally appropriate to be wearing a mask in a hospital setting. i wear one every time i have a patient with any respiratory symptoms, because i don't want to bring that nonsense home. >> well, not even that you getting sick. it's you out of work and we need our doctors and our nurses. we do to help us out. >> and we need to protect our most vulnerable in society. >> exactly. there is a new study i want to ask you about. this is from ucsf and it found the popular covid treatment paxlovid does not significantly lower the risk of long covid for people

who are vaccinated. can you give us a perspective on this study? >> it's right now there is preliminary data about whether or not paxlovid can reduce the risks of long covid. i think what's important for people to understand is that there's still a lot we're learning about who is most susceptible to long covid, how long the symptoms actually last for. what is a positive development is that there seems to be more specialized care, more treatment facilities to treat people who do have long covid with paxlovid , i would more focus on what we do know that it's more likely to reduce your risk of getting severely ill or winding up in the hospital. more data is needed to see what it actually does, if anything, against long covid. >> okay, so people should still get paxlovid and take it if they get covid. >> if you are high risk and you're guided to by a physician. now if you are healthy, young, vaccinated, you get covid, you may not think that you have a severe illness. you don't necessarily need to take paxlovid, but i would chat with the health care professional. if you're high risk, real quick to follow up on that. >> is it too soon to be able to

understand long covid? i mean, it's been a few years, but but it seems like the studies out there and we're talking about the impact of paxlovid. but do we still need years of data for that? >> we i'm not saying we need years of data, but what we what the big issue with long covid is, is how many symptoms have been reported that may or may not be associated with an initial covid infection. but the reality is, is there are people who have debilitating symptoms two, three years going right now from long covid. so i don't think that this is something we can brush off. it's something unique that we've seen with this specific virus that we don't necessarily see with other respiratory viruses. >> that's interesting. okay. there's a warning about a popular drug used for weight loss, a multiple drugs. some women say once they stop taking prescription medication, they gain back all the weight that they lost. but is that surprising? >> unfortunately it's not. but i do commend anyone out there who is sharing their story about what happens after you get off these medications because people have to remember the way these

the right now, the popular category, these glp1 inhibitor medications work is they essentially are cueing your body to not feel that hunger hormone. right. so you're like, hey, i'm full. i don't want to eat as much. and then your stomach motility, how quickly things move to your stomach slows down, which is why you get some of those side effects of bloating, nausea, wanting to throw up. once you stop it, all that's gone. so if you haven't already built a foundation of good lifestyle changes, changes in diet and exercise, you might revert right back to where you were right. >> if you're going back to eating unhealthy or eating bigger portions and not exercise rising, you're going to gain the weight back. it just seems obvious. >> this is why these medications are not supposed to be prescribed for cosmetic weight loss, and on their own, without lifestyle modification. okay, speaking of that, today eli lilly says it wants people to stop using its drugs. >> zepp bound and monjaro for cosmetic weight loss, and they published that in a letter thursday saying that it stands against the use of its medicines for that purpose. what are the dangers of using those drugs for

weight loss? >> i simply don't think it's needed. if you're trying to lose 5 or 10 pounds, you should be focused on other ways to lose that weight. changing your diet, getting more active. these medications really are designed for people. they're fda approved for people who have diabetes or obesity, which on its own is a chronic medical condition. now, remember, if you take these meds and it's indicated by a physician, you should expect to be on them for a very long time and not change that dose or get off of them unless you're directed to. >> okay, that's good to know. so let's talk about other health stories as we welcome a new year 2024. i know you're already looking ahead. um, janitor of generative ai. this is a hard word to say. how is that playing a role in medicine? >> i think this factors into what is happening with digital health, with tech, we're going to see more smart tools that are going to not only be able to assist doctors, but hopefully improve efficiency, pricing. there's ai tools to help with pre-authorization, making sure

that patients get insurance to pay for their medications and treatments. all of it is happening at a rapid pace. i think it's really interesting. and then you can see tech now moving over into other direct to consumer models like telehealth and what eli lilly announced with lilly direct to get medications to patients faster without the middlemen, tech is going to be interesting this year in health. >> that is interesting. we've already seen it a little bit, but this year you think it's really going to blow up? absolutely >> i think it has the runway to i think we've slowly seen more use cases and telehealth is only going to improve access and remove barriers from patients seeking care. i'm all for it. >> making it easier. >> absolutely. >> uh, gene editing there advances in that. what are we talking about here? >> i'll be i'll be bird's eye view here, but we look at crispr technology. >> oh, yes. and how much potential there is to treat a host of diseases and conditions. and the fact that we just just saw a breakthrough with sickle cell. i think we're just at the beginning. finally of what gene editing tools can really do. >> that's so fascinating to me. uh, before you go, we have have

an election year, right? >> do we do we ever in politics here for a quick second. >> but we're going to tie it into medicine. um, there are many health care centric topics that that matter not only for the public, but also, uh, to voters and, you know, health care providers. can you talk about some of the big ones that you're keeping an eye on? absolutely >> and i will just say i discount any thought that health care should not be involved in a conversation about politics because, oh my gosh, does politics govern public health in a large way? so health care topics that are going to be on the ballot that candidates should discuss include reproductive rights, health insurance, telehealth and digital health access, drug pricing, the opioid crisis, mental health care, the list goes on, and all of this are public health topics that are surrounded by policy and in fact, the kaiser family foundation survey show that all of these topics i just listed are considered to be important for candidates to talk about by more than 50% of people who completed this survey. so voters are watching. so is public health. >> and what's your advice to go

and do your research? find out, you know, what the candidates, how they feel about the issues, how they vote on the issues, those ones that impact our health. >> you said it perfectly. >> i think the most important thing for people to do is to look up what candidates stances are. would their policies on things related to drug pricing, mental health care, medicaid, medicare expansion, and how does it affect you? we've gotten to a place of tribalism where someone might say, i'm voting for this candidate because that's how i should vote, but pay attention to how all these public health centric policy changes could affect you and your family. that's it's so incredibly important. >> all right. >> some great advice, doctor. >> i wish i didn't have to give it. i wish politics wasn't involved in health care. but here we are. >> but it is here in the united states. it's good to see you. >> happy new year on that bright and shiny note. >> yes, we're going to wrap it up all right. well thank you so much. and we want to tell you about this. there is something new in place at the golden gate bridge that's designed to give people a second chance. up next,

a man who attempted suicide at the bridge talks about that. that just completes safety net. we're going to have that right

ridge, on average, 30 people or more die from suicide there each year. last year there were 14. joining us live now is kevin hines, mental health advocate and filmmaker who survived jumping off the golden gate bridge. kevin thank you so much for being here. >> thank you for having me.

>> and you first told us your story in a report, abc seven news did in 2017 about the suicide net. you also talked to our reporter j.r. stone. but could you please again share with us what led you to the decision to try to end your life at the bridge? >> it wasn't so much a decision as it was a compulsion. living with severe bipolar depression and terrible intrusive thoughts of suicide and catastroph thoughts that led me to attempt to take my life off the golden gate bridge. i didn't want to die. i believed i had to, i didn't want to die by suicide, and i wanted the pain to stop. >> and you did survive. and it's amazing to hear your story that you're here now. so can you tell us about that? that survival? how were you able to survive and how has your recovery been physically and mentally? >> absolutely. so i did survive the fall, which you hit it 15,000 pounds of pressure and

most people die upon impact. it is a 99.9% fatality rate of people who leap off that bridge. i'm a very lucky person, a blessed individual to have survived the fall, a sea lion came to my aid in the water, keeping me afloat until the coast guard boat arrived behind me. and that's what you see here. this is herbert, the sea lion that saved my life. and i'm so grateful that it did. uh- after that, the coast guard physically saved my life from the water. and after that, doctor jonathan levin of marin health center and his team saved my life nearly at the hospital by refitting my shattered vertebrae with titanium, saving me the ability to stand, walk and run. i missed severing my spinal cord that day by two millimeters. >> oh my goodness. wow. every thing just, you know, thankfully happened to go right. that and the right people there to help you out. but as you know now there is additional help for anyone uh- that does attempt

that. there's a net up 20ft below the sidewalk that extends 20ft from the bridge. do you think that might have made a difference in your attempt? >> as a matter of fact, i write the story of that in my book, the art of being broken, about how if the net had been there at the time i attempted, i had no money, i had no cell phone. i wouldn't have been able to pay for a bus ride home. i wouldn't have been able to call anyone. i was crying profusely, tears, water falling from my eyes while leaning over the four foot nothing rail. the ease of access. then to lethal means someone would have seen my pain, would have seen my despair and stopped me and asked me if i needed help. and i would have gotten it. what do you know about how that net will work? >> um, you know, we've talked about this. um, if someone jumps over, they're captured by the net. what happens next? because the material that it's made of makes it pretty painful. uh, somebody might get injured. uh,

what else can you tell us about that? >> well, they can get injured pretty seriously. uh, rendering them potentially motionless and giving people enough time to get out to them and get them to safety. uh, and i will tell you, as you reported earlier, uh, 23, 23 to 30 suicides every year, uh, for the last 20 years. uh, but this year, only 14 when they started building the net and now they've completed the net. so suicide rates in this year dropped over half from what they were last year alone. this is already working the bridge patrol of that of this era. and the bridge district have saved many lives of people who have climbed into the net, and they've gotten them to safety. so it's already working. it's doing its job. >> yeah, you just mentioned it. the project has been in the works for many years. construction began in 2018, and it cost $224 million. some say that money would have been better used on other suicide prevention resources. what are your thoughts on that? >> you know, i'm very blunt

about this. to the people that have an issue with the amount of funding it costs to raise the net, they clearly haven't lost a loved one off the golden gate bridge. i nearly left my family forever when my father came into the hospital room. these are the words he spoke to me. he said, kevin, if you had died, i would have died. so think about that. the next time you think about that number being too high, next of all, uh, you didn't raise those funds. we did. we fought for 23 years. some of us fought for over 30 years to raise the net at the golden gate bridge to effectively stop the suicides there, or at least stole them to near nil. and we have done that job. and i want to say this to everyone involved in raising the net. there are a lot of players involved. thank you. from the bottom of my heart. you all put in your heart and soul into this effort. we changed legislation in here. we can do it anyway for reduction of access to lethal means is one of the only empirically proven ways to reduce suicides globally. >> kevin, you're now giving back

in a big way. you're now a mental health advocate. tell us about some of the work that you do to help people. >> thank you very much for asking me that. um, for the last 23 years, since my seven months after my attempt, i began on a lifelong journey of sharing my story to now, uh, now, it was one speech a year, now it's 300 speeches a year around the world, sharing my story of hope, healing, and recovery from brain pain and helping people do the same. and, uh, we now make documentaries about suicide prevention and brain health and social justice issues. uh, my wife and i founded a film production company to do just that. we're making the film the net. it's called the net about this issue, about the 87 year effort. now 88 year effort to stop suicide at the golden gate bridge. and this film is going to be historic. it's going to be incredible, and it's going to move mountains. >> kevin, thank you so much for coming on the show, sharing your story of survival and, uh, just the work that you're doing to

help others now change lives. we really appreciate it. >> thank you so much. >> if you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you can find local resources by going to abc seven news.com/take action for more urgent matters. the suicide and crisis lifeline can be reached by dialing 988. all right. coming up on and off the bench. brock purdy won't play sunday for the niners. meanwhile, draymond green could soon be back to the court. next, we'll tackle the big sports headlines today with abc seven sports director larry biel. stay with us

larry biel to break it all down for us. larry, let's start with the warriors. okay. we're talking about draymond green. possible return could be just days away. we of course know he

was a indefinitely suspended right right right for that slap i guess. >> yeah on nurkic yes. >> what are you hearing about him coming back. >> well i think we have to be careful when we say he's only days away from returning. because there's a whole process that has to take place here. and typically if you're just coming back from an injury you would be ramping up. you'd be doing individual drills. then you would go to two on 2 or 3 on three, five on five scrimmage with a team. this all takes a while, and that's all separate from draymond doing whatever he's required to do off the court in terms of whether it's anger management, training or courses, classes, whatever. but the nba has to decide along with the warriors, when he's allowed to rejoin the team, when they feel that he has completed whatever the tasks have been required satisfactorily, and then they can move forward. but in the meantime, you know, steve kerr said uh- yesterday or two days ago that he's only texted with draymond. he hasn't seen him in the facility. nobody has

seen him. so there's some distance there. not sure what that really means. i mean it could be just that he's doing his his diligence and really focusing on making some changes so that he he can control himself on the court. >> but we don't know exactly the action that he's been doing. no, it's while he's been away. >> it's all personal. it's all private. and, you know, just like anything that happened in any major company, they wouldn't be broadcasting. oh you know, here's what's going on behind the scenes and what this person has to do, right? >> especially if it has anything to do with mental health or him being treated for anything like that. absolutely. again, we don't know. i mean, the warriors have been having a tough season. yeah, yeah. what is it going to take to turn things around. >> well perhaps the return of draymond that could provide a spark. the tricky thing with draymond is you want his intensity. you want his defensive acumen. you just don't want all the antics because you see what steph curry is doing every night i mean he's got to score 30 or 35 points a game for

this team to even have a chance to win on any given night. and we saw gary payton the second. unfortunately he's going to be out for probably three weeks. the latest injury for him is really unfortunate because he's got a hamstring. in addition to the calf injury that kept him out a month. so they've been more he's been banged up. they just they have no real solid rotation on that. steve kerr has established because outside of steph nobody's really been playing that well. they're 16 and 17. two big games tonight against the defending nba champion denver nuggets. and then tomorrow night against the detroit pistons. you know if you could beat denver that's a huge win. if you can beat the champs. they played him twice this year. lost two times in denver. but both were really close games. so if the warriors can clean it up stop turning it over, stop fouling all that stuff, they have a chance at least. but they need to decide the trade deadline is in february and that's coming up. that's coming up really fast. they have to decide or what are we doing here? are we are we really content? i mean, steve says, steve kerr says he views this as a championship roster, and i think he may be the only one

that views it as a championship roster because they're not even close. >> yeah, a lot has happened this season. yeah, okay. let's move on to the 49 ers. uh brock purdy will be on the bench this sunday. yeah. let's talk about that i mean he is getting a long break for the postseason play. >> yeah. this is a double edged sword because you want the rest to heal up. and so and he's had problems with the shoulder stinger. it's a recurring injury . you get hit and it feels like you know your whole arm is numb. he played last week and he was fine. but it's one of those things that can be recurring. so you want him to get the rest. the problem and steve young talked about this on the radio yesterday is that because he's not going to play this week, next week the niners have a bye because it's wild card weekend. and so they wouldn't play until either january 20th or 21st. that's like three full weeks off with no real game activity. it's the rest versus rust question that everybody struggles with. like how much is too much rest? because, you know, as steve young said, it'll take you a half of football for just to get

acclimated. for every game that you sit out well or every week that you sit out without the contact, without, you know, really, you know, playing. so if you're talking about missing three weeks or sitting out for three weeks, well, he's going to need, you know, a game and a half to get up to speed. so that's not ideal. you don't want that. so it's a fine line between, you know, trying to figure out how much a guy should play. you know what you should do. what do you do with him in practice. it's the rams though. on sunday are in the same boat. they're resting matthew stafford their star quarterback. so everybody's just trying to get ready for the playoffs and be as healthy as possible. >> yeah well let's talk about the 2024 pro bowl roster okay okay. because uh the niners lead the nfl with nine pro bowl selections. pretty received the most votes. is that a big deal? >> it's i mean it's good. is that it's good. well no. is it a big deal. it's they don't even play the pro bowl game anymore. you know they don't even have

the game. they do it like a flag football game now. so is it a big deal? i know you know i mean it's great that he got 451,000 votes. that's fantastic. and christian mccaffrey right behind him at 429. and you could see george kittle was there as well. you know fred warner nick bosa, javon hargrave the list goes on and on. charvarius ward, trent williams, the big offensive tackle kyle juszczyk, fullback. so it's good. and you know the really cool thing for some players and i don't know brock's contract in particular, but you can get bonus money if you make these teams. you know it's weird . the nfl they have pro bowl selections but they also have all pro selections. they're two different things. and so most guys have pro bowl or wait a second, all pro bonuses instead of pro bowl bonuses. but either way, it's a good thing brock is being recognized for being a great quarterback. >> so it's a good thing it's good. >> oh, it's certainly a good thing. it's not a bad thing. it's not a not like, you know, traffic stopping news. but

answering questions with experts from around the bay area. world tonight, the breaking news in new york city. the subway, two trains colliding, dozens injured. people pulled from the tracks. and the deadly school shooting. a student shooting several students at the principle. first, the images coming in right now. the frightening moments on the new york city subway. those two trains colliding on manhattan's upper west side. ambulances rushing to the scene. passengers pulled from the tr tracks amid the smoke and the sparks. erielle reshef at the scene for us. also breaking tonight, the