>> building a better bay area for a safe and securfuture. this is abc 7 news. >> hi there, welcome to our daily program called getting answers. we are asking experts your questions every day at 3:00. today we will dive in to whether high school sports should resume in california ahead of a state wide rally. we will begin with all things covid-19. so many questions about the vaccine and supply and efficacy. dr. patel, good to see you. we have a full plate but before

we get to that i am going to get a little personal. you got the second shot on tuesday. i think we saw you doing a handstand afterwards to show how happy that you were. you are seeing some side-effects, right. can you tell us about that? >> yeah. absolutely. you are correct. i had a dose of energy go through me to celebrate some science. i got my second shot. this was the pfizer vaccine, on tuesday morning. tuesday evening i started to feel a little fatigue and a headache. tuesday night i had chills and muscle aches. it kind of went away wednesday morning and now i am completely fine. i don't feel anything. this is the important note. i want to make sure that everyone out there knows, these are not adverse side-effects. adverse side-effect is a reaction to a vaccine we do not expect. this would normal immune response. my immune system was revving up

because it was making antibodies. i didn't feel that great, but i knew it was normal. >> just like the flu vaccine, afterwards you might get a tiny fever, a few symptoms in a mild manner. so this should not deter anyone. >> not at all. >> we will devote most of the next block to getting you answers. right now dr. patel has prepared something so we can learn more about the vaccine distribution. >> round one of two truths and a lie. i know you like to rely on the viewers. which one of these is not true. number one, we are looking at allocated covid-19 vaccine doses. how much each state has gotten and distributed. california has one of the worst rates in the country, around 28%. west virginia has one of the

best. the trump administration said it would be releasing all reserve vaccine doses. those are shipping out right now. san francisco will soon have several mass vaccination sites. sf market and another in the outer mission. >> you said today would would be easy. they are tricky once again. viewers, right now go ahead and interest your responses. betty joe says number two is the lie. that could be a trick question. i think they said they have already released it. maybe is not releasing but has already been released. >> nothing tricky. i promise you i have not been tricky. >> i want to say three sounds like they are working on the mass vaccination site. but i want to rule out indoor

locations because i would think they would set it up in golden gate park, oracle park. one. two. gosh. so many people. i know california has like a 28% dose rit. i am going to go with what viewers are saying, number two. number two. i see what you are saying but the trump administration said they were releasing all reserve doses and were promising the allocations to different states and it turns out the doses were reserve doses only for second shots. some states out there were relying on the other distribution to come in and don't have them now and throwing off all of the plans out there. so a breakdown in communication. number one sun fortunately true. naeshl our distribution rate

versus the administration rate, there is a huge discrepancy. california is not doing a great or very good job. and there is a plan for multiple mass vaccination sites. we have seen dodger stadium, supposed to be the largest mass vaccination site in the united states. >> absolutely. the governor highlighted it. i was surprised since it was indoors. i would think they would do it outside. that's all. >> i don't know what the details are about where they are doing it or what the ventilation is going to look like. that is a very important point that you bring up. what is note worthingtony, they were trying to put them in areas that were hard hit. when it comes to mass vaccination location is paramount and we need to make sure that there are trained health care personnel and distribution to have funding and clear communication.

>> absolutely. if we get a vaccine through the medical provider will it be free or covered by insurance? >> great question. from everything that we heard so far, it should be free. as far as being covered by insurance, i heard mixed opinion and claims right now saying the vaccine dose itself will be covered and you could be charged a copay from the doctor's office. i would presume everything would be covered. but things could change. i would just check in not only with your physician but insurance provider. i am hoping nobody is paying anything out-of-pocket for this. >> your the medical providers not equipped to handle the calls for appointments people waiting over four hours. that leads to my question as well, why is there so much mass confusion over how to sign up and who can sign up? >> i feel the frustration of

you, everyone else out there has the question. there is no clear-cut national guidance on the distribution and which providers can lead patients to where and et cetera. say that you are in a group right now like 65 and older and there is a little bit of shade of gray if you can get the vaccine or not. in california people above 65 can get the vaccine and you look at the counties and you second degree see there is a discrepancy. then you say if it is a hospital or do i call my doctor. there is so much confusion. people who are above 65 in arizona and florida are taking photos of getting their vaccine. i think the best thing to do is to check in with your physician and go to the department of health website and look at your county and what the information

is and if there is an online portal. contra costa county does have one if you are above 65. but it is not consistent. the communication is not consistent. the thing that worries me, is that it is only go to get worse, if you will, as we get to the lower tiers and vaccination and more mass vaccination campaigns happening. >> mayor london breed said that we need the doses of vaccines. yesterday the oakland mayor said big city mayors are urging the biden administration to department directly to big cities. would that help. could be that more efficient?

>> i think it could be more efficient. you have to have a site, doses and trained medical personnel. i am hearing reports where some people are saying that hey, we have the doses but do not have people to add minister the vaccine or reaching out to rural population. there are a lot of variables to take into account. i do think making sure that we are getting the doses to the right administrators is key. but again, who is going to control brie orr allocating which county gets which doses. >> i hope there are real

answers. we will continue the conversation on facebook live.

training of more vaccine administrators. doctor patel, he was answering questions on facebook live during the short break. can you mix vaccine companies when taking shots.

the two clinical trials done, we do not want to be switching the two of them. someone that had covid and recovers, should they take the vaccine? >> they should. you should develop natural immunities, we do not know how long that specific response will last and there is a huge spectrum for people that got the illness. >> now we want to test our knowledge more with more of two truths and a lie. we are feeling good since we got the last one correct. >> tell me which is the lie. former fda chief dr. david kesler is president-elect's pick to head the vaccine efforts.

number three, vaccines that are all in phase 3 and data should be here soon. >> normally i lean heavily on the viewers on facebook live. i think that i remember at least johnson and johnson in phase three. i am going to go with number two being the lie that want cdc announced the variant. spread is likely slowing. i am thinking that it is picking up. >> two is pretty much the lie. the cdc reported the variant in ten states. probably more states. people keep asking if the

vaccine will cover the variant. it looks like they will. but right now we are seeing over 250,000 cases per day. if we were to have a more contagious variant running around, that will cause more illness illnesses, slaughter health care systems and hamper the vaccine process. we have to be aggressive and make sure we are getting the shots in those arms before digging ourselves deeper into this. >> i think i heard that this strain is going to become the dominant strain in march, is that right? >> it is absolutely possible. the thing about vaccine strains, they are competing with each other to see who can latch on to more hosts and humans and if the strain has a better ability to infect people it could become the dominant strain. before we all get the vaccine

people are still wearing their masks and hunkering down. >> that is kind of a race against time. marissa has a question. how long do the antibodies from the vaccine last? longer than if you get covid and beat it naturally? >> great question. we do not know the long-term effects or long-term projection of how long it will last from the vaccine. earlier reports saying that it could last a year or longer. here is the issue relying on natural immunity for covid-19. it is true. from previous studies antibodies can last for longer than a year as well but aren't every infection is sustained. some people have a mild covid-19 infection. might not produce the same level of antibodies as people that produced a severe infection. we have a controlled dose that is going to get that 95%

efficacy and getting the vaccine is a lot safer than actually getting covid-19. >> in the last 45 seconds before break i want to get a chance to help set the record straight on social media. you have got another one for us. >> i do. and thank you, producer eric. there is a rumor that the covid-19 vaccine could cause infertility. the internet reports that a protein the vaccine is targeting is similar to one helping with growing a fetus. and this caused a lot of concern and said the vaccine could harm if fertility. this is not true at all.

vaccine will not harm your fertility. >> that is definitely good to know and thank you so much. when we come back we will talk about want future of high school sports in california. dr. patel will stick around for the conversation and we will be joined $9.95 at my age? $9.95? no way. $9.95? that's impossible. hi, i'm jonathan, a manager here at colonial penn life insurance company, to tell you it is possible. if you're age 50 to 85, you can get life insurance with options starting at just $9.95 a month. okay, jonathan, i'm listening. tell me more. just $9.95 a month for colonial penn's number one most popular whole life insurance plan. there are no health questions to answer and there are no medical exams to take. your acceptance is guaranteed. you can't be turned down because of your health, even if you have health problems or take medication.

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>> let's focus now on the future of high school sports as several rallies are scheduled to happen now here and across the state. dr. patel is still here and patrick walsh and a lineman for his team. thank you all for joining us. good to have you here. i want to make it clear, patrick, you are not here on behalf of the let them play rallies happening in an hour or half-hour, but the rallies sparked conversation busy whether high school sports can

resume. >> my position is simple. we collected data we want to present to governor newsom that would eradicate the tier system the youth sports are tied to. right now the timeline for youth sports being tied to the system is not. kids off of the bench to have rewarding experiences playing sports. and mental health is sliding. it is getting tough on the ground here. >> and if i can talk about how tough that it has been for you, not playing the sport that you love since what, last march? >> yeah. it has been pretty crazy, you know. trying to stay in shape. everyone on the team. i know there have been mental health struggles. staying indoors. locked up.

you know, i know going in a big part of the football team is the community. still trying to stay engaged with zoom calls, playing video games if you can. it really has been a struggle. >> are you worried about missing out on college scholarships? >> yeah. that is a big one. i was fortunate to start getting recruited as a junior. then going into the senior year, i know a lot of guys would get offers their senior years. >> patrick, all sports are not created equal. paint a picture for us of how indoor sports like basketball and volleyball or football and baseball can safely continue things. >> well, you have seen it from the national data that we have collected. outdoor sports are relatively

safe as it comes to youth sports. indoor states there are 30 states playing high school basketball inside. >> we have a map of that which we pulled up, which states can actually play. >> yeah. it has been done. the good thing is that we are not the pioneers. there is data out there now. it is not march 10th or 12th, 2020. states have proven they can play and have made significant modifications which we are prepared to do. there are limited people in the stands and all of the things we are used to. but we believe through the workouts we have been conducting since april that we are ready for the next step, athletic competition and games. inside, you know, the tier system as i was saying before. basketball is in the yellow tier, which is less than 1 in 100,000 cases of covid.

i don't think covid is going away any time soon. that means basketball may not be played until 2023. it does not match up for us. >> yeah dr. patel, i have seen all sorts of studies. others say they are inconclusive or there have been outbreaks. what should they consider, and also do you agree with the mental health aspect needing to be weighed as well? >> anyone paying attention to data and looking at children's welfare and what has happened in the past year, yes. this has a huge effect on mental health. being kept home from schools and a lack of interaction and living these normal athletic lives.

>> i think this should be prioritized. i think we should be looking not only at sports themselves but what schools and counties are doing to keep their teams safe. what the sport looks like more than making the blanket rules. without paying any attention to what resources or the community looks like, we are doing the same thing right now to youth sports. you look to at this time way that professional sports are able to handle it and make bubbles and protect their players. one thing i want to add for a i don't it is different if kids are out playing basketball and after they go on a school bus

together and take off their masks or in a locker room and are hanging out afterwards. it is not fair to lose to the actual sport play. i think it is really important we listen to teams, coaches, we look to see what protective measures are being done, what they are doing to keep kids safe and look at it on a case by case basis. yes. i agree. we are probably going to be dealing with covid-19 for the greater part of the year and we can't just shut everything down until we figure it out. and it is not cool when i see a packed bar or restaurant next to a shut down gym nazium or school. that makes zero sense to me. >> patrick i can see you agree with what dr. patel just said. we have about 30 seconds. patrick, i think i want to make a point when it comes to regard with social equity. some people travel out of state to play club. other kids in the big cities

have nothing. >> yeah. the singular most heartbreaking thing that has come across my soul in doing this research is to talking to joe bates and the other section, fred velasquez and the san francisco section. they haven't been allowed to be on practice. they have not come on campus at all. their mentors, friends, brothers, everyone they hang out with, they have not been able to see them at all. >> patrick,

>> thank you. we answered a lot of questions when it comes to the covid-19

vaccine and roll out and had a discussion of balancing mental health of youth athletes and tonight, now, five days until the inauguration, what the fbi is most concerned about tonight. ieds, explosive devices and threats to members of congress and political leaders. the nation's capitol and all 50 states on high alert. checkpoints and barricades put up throughout washington, d.c. tonight, the fbi warning of quote, substantial threat of ieds and lawmakers. sources telling abc news the inauguration rehearsal planned for sunday has been delayed. and alarming new bouthe alt on capitol hill. how close were pro-trump rioters to vice president mike pence as he was whisked away by secret service, as many were chanting hang mike pence? new questions tonight over