>> announcer: building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc news. hi, everybody. i'm dion lim. welcome to our daily program called "getting answers." what we're doing is we're asking experts your questions every single day at 3:00 answs outime. you can join in the discussion. it's happening as we speak onow today marks six months since the bay area issued shelter in order and we have all been through so much. inspiring me to look back and also take a look forward into the pandemic is a doctor who has been with us through it all, abc7 news special correspondent dr. alok patel. thank you once again. >> dion, thanks for having me. we have been through a lot together.

i can't believe it's already been six months. >> it's crazy because i was about to ask you if you could believe it or not. but if we could actually do a little time machine right now and go back to march, we have a little bite from one of our newscasts that i'll share with you because larry beil, i mean he was totally flabbergasted when you gave your predictions. let's take a listen. >> with regards to public health, i could see it being the larger part of this year. >> this year? >> because we really have to slow things down. >> that pretty much said it all. i mean was shook. dr. patel, as we look back, what has been the most surprising thing that has come from the shelter in place? >> oh, loaded question to start. you know, when i look back on everything, i think about the shelter in place and the way everything's been shut down, i don't want to be a doomsday talker right now. i want to shine something on something positive, a silver lining. i think something that has come out in the last six months is a

little bit of humanity. people amplifying positive messages. we've seen an outpouring of support for people who can't afford their own groceries or people who are high risk and need assistance and i think those stories need to be highlighted more. what's really come out is all the fissures in our you think health care access, access to safe public places, health insurance. americans are now finally talking about it. then there's also some negative things that have come out like pseudoscience and the amount of misinformation has been maddening. i think that's surprising to all of us, and i think part of it plays into people's fear and frustration. so a whole spectrum of surprises that have come out over the past six months. >> yeah, you weren't kidding about kind of just only being able to scratch the surface with this loaded question. but even looking back at how the segment you did in march was, seeing people together and

having that camaraderie is something that i think we all need to kind of figure alternate ways of how we're going to do that. i think you're right. we have seen the best of humanity in many ways, people reaching out in other forms to make sure that our neighbors and our community are doing okay. and speaking of, we're looking ahead as well. we're not just trying to commiserate on the past six months, but looking ahead what is your prediction, and give us a sense of what you expect for california. >> well, i'm happy with kind of the trajectory right now of the bay area counties. and if you look at that tier system that governor newsom put out -- i believe it was august 28th -- you know, we have a relatively low case positivity rate in several bay area counties. that's the good news. but there are some unknowns we're heading into over the next six months. we have no idea what winter is going to do to coronavirus. we don't know what's going to happen when people are more likely to congregate indoors or what viral trans mission will look like in that colder, drier

air. what could possibly happen when flu influenza, rsv, these other respiratory viruses come into contact in the same body with coronavirus. this makes me think of those books we used to read back in the '80s and '90s, the choose your own adventure book. i think one thing everyone has to pay attention to is we are literally choosing our own adventure in the next six months. it could either be towards less cases and more reopenings, or towards a disaster because we still have to work together ask we still have to do all those basic things that we know are going to slow person-to-person transmission. we have to accept the fact that are still a lot of unknowns out there. in the next six months we're going to learn more about what's happening with some of these businesses not reopening, kids being at home, long-term symptoms from people who may have recovered from coronavirus over the summer. so there's a lot we have to keep our eyes open for. >> a question that's coming in actually from our director, kurt, is we're looking ahead to

the holidays. i,ysf, happe for'm thinking about them and how it's supposed to be very cold in those parts of the country. i mean there's so many things that we need to think about and to address not only here but across the country. what do you think? >> i think addressing it is the first thing people need to do. you obviously have the whole concept of travel itself. right now i'm hearing more and more stories of people traveling. there's a lot of airlines that are doing everything they can to stay safe. that middle seat is empty. people feel relatively fine about traveling. that may increase over fall. more people might be going in and out of airports. one thing to pay attention to. you mentioned it, in new england in the winter, i don't think people are going to be having outdoor barbecues or exercising as much outdoors. there's more of a tendency to go inside. i worry about counties that may

have spikes and who have businesses and restaurant who's are relying on staying open outdoors. like what is their plan going to be? i think that's something that everyone needs to be paying attention to. if you want to only keep your health in check, you want to prevent outbreaks, but prevent local businesses, we have to think about what winter is going to mean for our mode of life right now. our new normal involves a lot of outdoor time which might be gone in some parts of the country during the holidays. >> something i also noticed being in different parts of the country was that when it comes to schools, a lot of these districts are doing a hybrid of in-person learning, virtual learning. looking ahead to that as well is going to be challenging with winter and also the holidays and a number of other holidays that children are going to be missing out on, especially like halloween. >> one of my favorites. fortunately a lot of parents and a lot of pediatricians have coming up with ways to make sure

they're getting children into the halloween spirit. they're celebrating but doing it in a safe way. i think one thing everyone has to remember is children are incredibly resilient. as long as they know what's happening, they know the unknowns and how to protect themselves, children will bounce back. you mentioned schools earlier. i think it's smart parents have been preparing for distance learning or a hybrid model for the entire year. it's something people ought to be cognizant of and i'm hearing stories of children thriving as home, as many stories i'm hearing as of kids who just can't function distance or school districts that are really struggling. i think more attention is going to be paid toward our school system and how we can protect and make sure kids are still thriving and not falling too far behind over the next six months. >> this is very appropriate to not necessarily kids but the older set. we just got a message from facebook from a viewer named sabrina who has three kids coming home from college in december. how is she supposed to keep her

family safe? what do they do? i mean do they stay on campus? do they stay far away? that's the heartbreaking question i think many people want to know. >> and it's even more anxiety-provoking because it really differs depending on college to college. now, in a perfect world, colleges would have great contact tracing programs. they would have a campus health and public health official who's are monitoring what's happening on that campus, and kids would know, you know, there's an outbreak. i should go home. i should stay here. kids can get tests. but, again, this differs based on the college. around that november time, i would really be honest and ask those questions to those colleges and make the call. i can't even imagine how difficult it must be for a parent whose kid cannot come home during thanksgiving or during the holiday break. but if there is an outbreak, that's something you have to take into account. i mean what are you going to do if you have someone who's high risk, elderly, someone who has a chronic medical illness in the house and you have a college student coming home because that college is shut down because of

an outbreak? this is exactly why many public health officials have said, hey, maybe we should keep the students there until we know they're safe before sending them home. so i think this is a big topic that's probably going to get revisited once holiday season approaches us. >> as an aside, i went to visit my alma mater, emerson college, in boston, and they have a special hotel. it was like a luxury hotel dedicated to the students so they can stay one student per room. some other extreme measures, testing multiple times a week, and then also if you actually come down with coronavirus, you're quarantined all by yourself in a special building. so certainly lots for people to think about, including this, vaccines la the u.s roout yesterday. the vaccine this is clearly the most we have seen so far. this includes the vaccine being free, also state and local communities need a precise plan

when it comes to handling, storing, and distributing. did anything jump out to you regarding this plan? i mean good or bad here. >>. >> well, i think one good thing that stood out is the transparency of what's actually needed oftn the state level. a few months ago people kept hearing, a vaccine is going to be ready. a vaccine is going to be available. the average person didn't know if that meant they're waiting in a four-hour line, they have to drive far and spend a bunch of money or they could just go to cvs. this is more realistic where people are saying you may need two doses. there is a process of refrigeration and storage. so states have to start thinking about how to allocating funding, thinking about how you're going to distribute them to the millions of people who might be in that first tier, who may need to receive the vaccine. health care workers, frontline providers. i think it's realistic for americans to look at this and say, okay, it's time we start thinking about a realistic

timeline. i think the concept of putting out a plan is forcing people to question which vaccines are most likely to come to market. and when they actually are ready, does that mean they're producing their data to the fda, or does that mean they're going to be widely distributed because there's differing opinions coming out and people are confused. i'm hoping this plan is getting everyone a little more educated about what's realistic. >> keep in mind we are continuing the conversation right now on facebook. facebook.com slash abc7 news.

we appreciate you staying with us. thank you so much. okay. our next guest now, big money

and a lot more is at stake for your community when it comes to the u.s. census. there happens to be a last-minute push happening as we speak, especially for the asian-american community and also minority neighborhoods to participate and get involved. adrian pawn runs san francisco's office of civic engagement and immigrant affairs. and on your right, rob truo, of the asian-pacific islander council on getting the word out. thank you so much for being here. >> adrian, let's start with you. asian-american communities we know have been underrepresented for decades now. how behind exactly are we in census response thisim around abods intilaruld peopl pay attention to? and why should people in all neighborhoods care? >> good question. you know, we did very well in 2010 because we had this enormous boost from communities

partners. so areas like chinatown went up to the 90s, you know, not all of it, but parts of it. this year is a little bit different. it's a different census, different circumstances. so san francisco right now is 65.3%, and in 2010, we were 68.5%. that's in self-response. that means people jump online and fill out the census form or call the number on their own and don't wait for the census bureau to count them. so we are low right now, surprisingly, in a lot of areas. not surprisingly in our hardest to count areas like chinatown, the tenderloin, bayview, south of market. those are historically hard to count. but we're even -- we're super low in those areas because people haven't been able to come out and get the help they need to do the census.

and then in areas that normally in past years would have performed really well -- and i'm talking about like the marina and cal ha low. they are also lower, so it's all over the city in areas where the -- the one area that's doing well is district 4, where there's a majority of asian-americans in the area. but we are below -- we're in the 50s and low 60s in other areas, treasure island included. so it's tougher this time around. >> before we get to you, rob, adrienne, real quick, there's a dollar amount attached to each and every person who does not respond to the census. i think that's what hit me in the gut so much and prompted me to want to have both of you on the show today. >> yeah, absolutely. you know, i don't think people always realize -- and you know, honestly the census hasn't been on the top of everyone's mind. it's been on ours, but for every

person in san francisco who participates in the 2020 census, that brings about $2,000 in federal funding to the city and county. and because the census affects us for the next ten years, that's $20,000 per person for the next ten years to support food on the table, housing, jobs, schools, libraries, covid-19 recovery, and much more. so one person doing the census means that 400 seniors or kids get their meals every day or that our youth get job opportunities and that our first responders get the equipment and protection they need to save lives. you know, it pays for everything, streetlights, pothole repairs, hospitals, health centers, programs for children, youth, and families, and just about everything we do in our lives. so there are about 150,000 households in san francisco that

still haven't done the census yet, and that means a potential loss of $8 billion in federal then remiingverycity andin the, when avgenough moneyor whae want t cplmmt think about the census and what it can do if you just spend a couple of minutes filling that out. rob, i do want to get to you because you and i have been emailing for weeks now. you have been boots on the ground. we saw you with volunteers out there this chinatown week after week. tell us about the efforts you've been making, what's planned in specifics for this week of action. >> absolutely. thank you so much. we have been on the ground. api council represents 56 nonprofits. so many of them are on the ground every day. as you know, there's so many challenges with doing -- organizing work for the census, specifically field work.

when there's a global pandemic happening. so we've been doing our part because we know that there's nothing more effective than person-to-person organizing and contact, especially with so many of our community members who don't have as much technological savvy and want that personal contact. so we are pretty much all over getting the message out there, have been in chinatown. we're going to be in japantown. so for the next -- for pretty much every weekend, we'll be out in the community with a table and signing people up. >> and this question is for either one of you. you know, for so long i have always said that as an asian-american woman, it is important that representation happen. it matters so much, and it actually matters when it comes to our voting especially during this election year. elaborate a little bit more on this because i'm not sure people know the implications not responding to the census can have on voting.

>> yeah, i can take the first crack at that. you know, dion, doing the census means that you matter and there is a very direct connection between being counted in the census and ensuring that you have an impact in voting for the next election, like for president or any other office. the sennial census results are used to determine how many congressional seats each state gets, and that of course impacts the electoral college, and that will impact us for the next ten years. so doing the census ensures your part in making sure that there is fair political representation and it's based on the population of people, all the people. every person in the united states and u.s. territories. >> rob, real quickly we have about 20 seconds left. is there anything else you want to add? >> yeah. the last thing i want to add is that we all deserve to be counted. i think aside from the election, this is the most important thing

that folks should be thinking about. it is our crack at a fair share of the $1.5 trillion that states receive and so many of the services that we do receive currently in covid times comes from apportionments from the census. so for our undocumented folks, our immigrants, our communities of color, multi-generational households, this is so important and so critical. i urge everyone to please participate and talk about it to all of your friends and family. >> okay. we have so much more information all on our website, abc7news.com. adrienne and rob, many thanks to you for joining us. stay

as the wildfires burn up and down the west coast, abc7 is partnering with the american red cross and more than a dozen abc stations in california, oregon, and washington to raise money for wildfire's advocate wees. joining me is brianna taylor, a

red cross board member. thank you for being here. >> thank you so much for having o honored to partner with kgo and abc to raise these vital funds for the communitiesy the . >> now, this has been a tremendous undertaking. i mean not only our sister stations in fresno and in l.a. but also affiliates up and down the west coast. talk to me about the response because i was going to stay the amount raised was about $300,000. that's the latest i got in the afternoon, but it's grown substantially since. >> oh, that's so wonderful. i mean so many people are in need because of these historic wildfires. i mean i've responded to wildfires now for the past, oh, five years, and i've never seen anything like we've had this summer. it's been just -- just unbelievable. i started responding when they first began on that very, very -- that very lightning and windy weekend, and that response

rolled right up into these fires that took place all over the bay area. so we've been responding to the three complex fires that have been in this area, and at one point, you know, i think we had over 70,000 overnight stays, total, for this response. and i think we're down now to around, oh, feeding still over 1,200 people. so the response has just been just huge, and the volunteers that have been here to respond have just been so, so helpful and so willing to do whatever was needed. and the response is so different because of covid right now. we're not doing things the way we've always done them in the past. so instead of only sheltering people in congregate shelters, we've been putting people in

hotels as a way to keep them safe. so along with the state, we've been working to do that. and, again, we just want to make sure that everybody is safe and that they know red cross is a safe place to come to when something happens. >> briana, we only have about 45 seconds left. i want you to make your pitch to the audience right now as to why they should donate because obviously we're going through such challenging times. many people's financial situations have changed. tell me how exact dollar is going toward the cause and why it is so important to maybe even give just a few dollars, what you can. >> yeah, anything that you can is what's important. and the majority of it goes right to the disaster and the people affected. and the reason why red cross can do that is because of all the volunteers that come in and help. they don't have to pay for the volunteers like you would have to pay for workers, and so that money that you donate actually

goes to those people affected and in need. so i can't think of any other organization that works as hard and does as much as we do to really -- to really help those in need and those who are affected. >> briana, thank you so much for joining us. in case you need the information one more time, we do want to remind you it is on your screen. you can donate by going to red

and with that, thank you so much, everybody, for joining us on this interactive show "getting answers." we'll be right here every weekday at 3:00 on air and also

livestreaming your questions. you can join us at 6:00 for a sp tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. after president trump takes aim at thecd dr. robert redfield, and what he said about a potential vaccine and timeline, the nation's top doctors tonight come to dr. redfield's defense. and what dr. anthony fauci is saying about when millions of americans will likely get a vaccine. the president offering his own timeline, much closer to the election. and all of this as the u.s. now nears 200,000 american lives lost. tonight here, a reality check. abc news reaching out to the leaders, the scientists leading more than a half dozen vaccine tria. so, what doy say about when there could be a vaccine and when americans could get it? also the new obstacles for schools. new york city schools and the setback. and the pastor who told members of his own congregation they