the bay area is getting a pretty good soaking right now. next at 5:00, abc 7 news meteorologist sandhya patel is here to talk us through the time line. plus the white house announces a big step forward on vaccines along with a hopeful tone about when everyone will get their turn. and a logistical nightmare for bay area mass vaccination sites. why keeping them open is so unpredictable. >> also tonight mixing and managing vaccines and why it could be critical to stopping the variants. oakland's police chief meet with china town business owners, so we decide to join him as he talks about the crime hitting the neighborhood. and a restaurant owner explains why he's shutting down amid a controversy over his face mask

and we'll begin on storm watch as rain is coming down in parts of the bay area. this is what it looked like in alameda a short time ago. here's a live look from our cameras various parts of the bay area. you can expect this for a few more hours. meteorologist sandhya patel is here with what's happening right now on live doppler 7. >> it is active, dan, and that's exactly what we need right now. the rain that is welcome here in the bay area it is coming down in the east bay. i'm going to take you into street level radar to oakland. alameda, you can see harbor parkway seeing some moderate to heavy rain. also right around the antioch, brentwood, pittsburgh area deer valley road, unfortunately the evening commute is not knowing to be easy for those who have to hit the road. san francisco, mission street seeing some light to moderate rain. and as we head into the south bay and santa cruz mountains

also getting the wed roadways out there. wet evening commute, breezy to gusty conditions out there. as you look at the hour by hour time line notice the rain is passing through the region. by 10:00 p.m. the showers are focused right around the east bay and the south bay. i'll let you know if the wet weather will end before the morning commute begins in just a few minutes. >> sandhya, thank you. and good evening to you. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm ama dates. thank you for joining us tonight. let's get to some good news about the covid-19 vaccine. president biden announced today his administration has secured deals for 200 million new doses bringing the total to 600 million. >> just this afternoon we signed the final contracts for 100 million more moderna and 100 million more pfizer vaccines. we're also able to move up the delivery dates with an additional 200 million vaccines to the end of july, faster than

we expected. >> president biden says that means the country will now have enough doses to vaccinate all americans by the end of summer. he also said the biggest issue right now is logistics, and that's exactly the obstacle for the mass vaccination sites up and running now in the bay area. as abc 7 news reporter chris wray has learned it's a complex juggling act and if it fails there could be a shutdown. >> what are you doing to make sure none of your sites get shutdown even if it's a limited supply? >> well, it's careful planning and an allocation process. >> reporter: that's a nightmare keeping the site open. with current supplies they're only doing about 1,000. >> we moved the appropriate number of doses to the various sites to make sure they have at least a minimal amount of vaccine to be able to continue the operation going.

we don't anticipate ever closing the site. >> the same logistics nightmare happening at sites across the bay area, sites that are open in limbo with no guarantee of supply. alameda county fairgrounds has been setting up in pleasanton with a goal about 5,000 shots a day. same with the oakland colosseum set to open next week. that site is operated by state and federal agencies. they at least have a different supply pool. they plan to operate at max capacity on day one. >> we're taking over their 30-acre parking lot to be able to develop the entire drive up component. logistically it's a big lift. >> reporter: and an even bigger lift for counties that only count on the state's supply. can do up to 10,000 shots a day and currently they're only doing about 4,000. san mateo's event county is by appointment only. are you concerned what's happening in l.a. county having to close down sites because they

don't have enough supply sph. >> i'm definitely concerns. it continues to be a challenge for all of us. the unpredictability of the supply makes it difficult to plan particularly for large vaccination events. if these folks are not able to be in these roles for more than a couple weeks, it will be very difficult to have them not go back to their regular job. >> reporter: abc 7 has confirmed so far no vaccination sites are in danger of shutting down in the bay area. at what point do you have to shutdown your sites? >> it really would be if we have no vaccine supply at all. >> we're parsing it out appropriately to the multiple sites we have to make sure we don't have to shutdown any single site. >> reporter: that's a challenge they hope will shift soon so they can focus on giving out shots instead of just keeping sites open. >> and dr. anthony fauci says

americans of all ages and risk factors should have access to the vaccine as early as this april. late today he also addressed the issue of the south african variant you heard about just identified in the bay area as we reported yesterday. >> the south african variant is a little bit more problematic. it diminishes the capability of the vaccines to reduce the antibodies that would suppress it. but it doesn't completely eliminate it. >> and with variants now here in the bay area there are fresh concerns about the effectiveness of vaccines being delivered. against that backdrop some experts are exploring the idea of providing patients with a second booster shot not with the same vaccine but actually a different one. here's more. with the covid virus mutating into new and dangerous forms experts say it's critical to not only expand vaccinations but to make sure they're effective enough that they don't leave to mean patients with what's known

as parlgs immunity. >> i think one thing i'm concerned about we generate a lot of incomplete immunity and that's a breeding ground for the variants. >> reporter: a leading researcher at san francisco's gladstone institute. she worries about situations where variants of the virus could thrive in natural selection if strong booster shots are not available fast enough to stamp them out. one strategy now being studied worldwide calls for possibly mixing and matching, giving patients boosters with a different vaccine than they originally received. the doctor believes the idea needs to be explored. >> i would not start mix and match everything whenever it's available. but i think when it makes sense there's an argument to be made that our current vaccines could be optimized by matching and mixing them. >> that's because some vaccines offer protection in different ways. some european researchers, for example, have suggested the

oxford astrazeneca vaccine could potentially be mixed with the sputnik vaccine because they use different adenovirus platforms. others say they could be theoretically followed with a much lower tech vaccine being used in china. >> i think it's definitely a time we should think creatively ability our vaccine approaches. >> she says the goal would be both increase supplies and broaden protection. >> and it's quite likely we're going to need to boost various vaccine products at this point to adjust to the evolving variants. and i absolutely think we need to study mixing and matching of different vaccine platforms. >> a creative and nontraditional approach to keeping up with the virus that has proven to be a moving target. now, one other possible advantage experts say, the immune system can sometimes recognize platforms used to deliver earlier vaccine doses

and react against them the second time around. they believe using a different vaccine platform for a second dose might give it a better chance of slipping into the body more efficiently and effectively. >> in the south bay there's a push to vaccinate residents of hard hit communities. a mobile drop in clinic debuted today in east san jose. vaccinations are now available thursdays and fridays. a second mobile clinic is open on wednesdays at the gilroy senior center. >> i also had covid in july. i had a lighter case, but it was enough to let me know this this is the best choice for me and my family and my community. >> making sure that that vaccine is smack in the middle of the neighborhood most hardest hit makes all of the difference in the world. >> residents 65 and older do not need to make an appointment online to receive a vaccination. instead they must register for an appointment at the vaccination site the day of. marin county is opening up vaccinations to people age 65

and older starting monday. the county says 65% of residents age 75 and older have been vaccinated and they're ready to start vaccinating another tier, but there is still a supply issue. so some may not be able to start vaccinating people age away. the business owners tell the news anchors they finally feel like they are being heard. >> all right, thank you so much. >> reporter: a welcome sight in oakland's chinatown where the newly appointed police chief walked the streets. >> i think the fear that we've seen over the last month or so is something that we as a department understand that we need to have a greater presence in china town. >> reporter: meeting one-on-one with merchants who have felt that fear first-hand. kenneth lamb is one of dozens of business owners grateful for the extra support. he and his wife were seen on

surveillance video getting robbed at their flower shop, one of more than 20 incidents of crime and violence documented by the china town chamber of commerce in recent weeks. >> thank you for you guys stepping up. you guys really do step up for us and protecting us and we feel much, much safer. >> reporter: during our time with armstrong it was clear community members really felt heard. other efforts from the public include a grass roots patrol led by rapper china mack to a gofundme campaign founded by community members after a 91-year-old man was seen pushed to the ground. none could have been made possible without victims in this community speaking out. >> our community needs to know who to contact when something happens. we want to reassure them that if an incident happens in china town we want to know about it, and we want to quickly respond and apprehend the person responsible. >> reporting is so important. now one business owner in china

town says because the community feels a little bit safer he is seeing an uptick in business. that is the good news. however, get this as soon as i finished shooting our story with the chief the owner of shared this video with me. you can see a woman get into her car and be robbed in broad daylight. this is the location less than a mile away from china town. in sonoma county today the owner of a popular restaurant defended his mask policy and announced changes. he's been facing backlash after a server wore a black lives matter mask at work. >> reporter: it's not always easy to talk and walk that proverbial walk. for kim it's a matter of principle. >> i'm hearing from a lot of supporters as well as critics. >> reporter: kim is a waitress

who quit her job last september over not being allowed to wear a black lives matter mask. this instagram video shot shortly after she walked out has turned her into a spokeswoman for the cause. >> businesses are still learning it's no longer profitable or in your best interest to align yourself with racists. >> reporter: the restaurant owner does not see himself or his business that way. today in a press conference over zoom john says he does support black lives matter, that this was a change of uniform policy. >> the support of black lives matter was not and is not an issue. >> reporter: the backlash has been costly. today he described threats to the restaurants, staff and their families. he has closed indefinitely, and just after the restaurant finally reopened. >> the anger is there, and it gets directed in ways that i think are -- i don't understand. >> i think that they valued a uniform policy over showing

support for marginalized lives. >> reporter: meantime he's announced diversity training for his staff along with increased support of black owned businesses. it has been a learning process, he says. a painful one. >> i've learned that this world is so big. i need to do a better job of participating in it in a broader spectrum. >> reporter: so now we have the girl and the restaurant and wacherous with a mask both walking that walk, signs of the times when everything feels magnified. wade freedman, abc 7 news. students and coaches have a message

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the pressure for students to play sports is intensifying as abc 7 reporter lyanne melendez explains athletes, coaches and

parents rallied outside the capitol to try to persuade the governor and legislators to the ban on sports. >> reporter: the argument has been made before it continues to cause irreparable harm. today coaches left their empty football fields and courts to come to the state capitol to advocate for students. >> and i'm here to tell them every coach in california is now their voice. we are now their lobbyists. >> reporter: 10,000 letters and signatures were delivered asking governor gavin newsom and silaters to allow youth and high school sports to start immediately. they say data in outdoor sports demonstrate it's safe for them to play. >> outdoor sports do not spread the virus. outdoor sports do not start cluster. >> reporter: the latest from the cdc states that the risk of covid-19 spreading in schools is small. the cdc also says people must

make sure the community spread of the virus remains low. on tuesday there was a degree of optimism from the governor's office. >> we've been negotiating the details of that. real progress is being made. >> nearly every state in the country has reactivated their sports season. early in the week oakland unified restarted its conditioning program for middle and high schools. today coaches argued that the ban is having a negative impact on students scholarships and physical and mental health. >> we're not going to stop until you guys are wearing your pads and you guys are bouncing the basketballs around and you guys are playing. >> reporter: they hope to have an answer from the governor in the next few days. the u.s. attorneys office in san francisco announced a string of massive drug busts today including one of the biggest in the bay area. agents say 570 pounds of meth

was seized in just one saw sunnyvale. dozens are accused of trying to smuggle drugs into the u.s. and firear firearms. speeds reaching 135 miles an hour, the car plunged 20 feet from an off-ramp near mccarthy and 580 in oakland. the chp found loaded guns and stolen converters in the car. the three were arrested. still ahead the stormy weather now hitting the bay area. look at those rain drops on our cameras as we take a live look

all right, rain, rain here to stay at least for a little while. wheatologist sandhya patel has the forecast. hi, sandhya. >> hi, dan. yeah, and it is nice to see that

rain. just take a look at a live picture right now from our exploratorium camera. the rain drops are coming down over san francisco tonight in the financial district. here's a look at live doppler 7, and i want to show you closer views of where it is coming down heavily around discovery bay, oakley bethel island area. we are seeing some brief downpours. also right around the peninsula south city, daly city so watch out. hopefully you don't have to go outside and you can enjoy the rain from the comfort of your home. from the north bay you'll notice we're also seeing some wet weather. and in the south bay it is lighter but steady from san jose, benton steet, santa clara. gusts out of the south-southwest at 30 miles an hour on mt. st. helena, 31 an diablo. temperatures right now 40s, 50s and it's a level one of our storm impact scale. through tonight expect some

brief heavy rain, a wet evening commute and breezy to gusty conditions out there. the hour by hour forecast 6:00 tonight you're still going to run into some pockets of moderate to heavy rain even at 7:00 p.m., pretty widespread. and then by 9:00 p.m. it switches over to more limited showers going into the late night hours. by tomorrow morning maybe a drop or two in a few locations. it's really isolated at 4:00 before it is done. in terms of additional rainfall totals we're looking attttttt about four tengs of an inch. in the mountains it's a winter weather advisory to about 4:00 a.m. tomorrow. highest peaks will pick up about 19 inches of snow so travel is going to be difficult. best to hold off until the storm has passed before you get a window. temperatures in the morning, 30s, 40s. one thing to watch out for will be some fog in the morning and afternoon it's going to be a breezy day but dry afternoon. 50s and 60s for your high

temperatures to end off the workweek. drying out on your friday. we are expecting another system a light level one. that one is going to produce less rain than we've had. rest of your weekend is fine, valentine's day included for lunar, new year celebrations. late night chance of a few showers and also a weather system with wet weather. middle of next week it'll be dry and mild. >> that'll be nice. thank you, sandhya. up next berke

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> the answers to your vaccine questions. >> every county is different. >> if we stay at that pace how long do you think it'll take to vaccinate a majority of the population? >> from our dedicated team of experts. >> the trials locally and beyond the world are still very much ongoing. >> vaccine watch every day on abc 7 news. well, finally here tonight there is a new street name in

berkeley. >> between center and university is now officially the first street in berkeley to be named after a south asian-american. she eventually settled in berkeley but was driven out of the city because of her race. her granddaughter described what kind of woman she was. >> she organized with other immigrants as well as american women, hosted indian american cultural events and built bridges between the communities so other new comers can have the kind of welcome that had been denied her. >> the city selected it from a long-list of names submitted by hundreds of berkeley residents. >> a lot sounds like. >> absolutely. that is our report. world news tonight with david muir is next. we appreciate your time. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm ama dates. for sandhya patel andlife us here thanks for watching. we'll see you again at 6:00.

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tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. the major news from the impeachment trial of former president trump and breaking news at this hour on vaccines in this country and when there could now be enough to vaccinate nearly all americans. what president biden just said. first tonight, day three of the impeachment trial. house managers warning what we saw in our nation's capitol could happen again if the former president isn't held accountable. using the president's supporters in their own words, repeatedly saying they were there fighting for trump. shouting at officers in the capitol hallways, saying, we are listening to trump, your boss. the defense team for the former president begins tomorrow and the major headline from that team tonight. what we can now expect. rachel scott and jon karl both standing by. also breaking as i mentioned, news on vaccines here in the u.s.