>> announcer: building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc 7nys. >> hi, there i'm kristen sze. welcome to our taily program called getting answers. asking experts your questions everyday day at 3:00 to get answers in realtime. today to end our week. we have dr. patel to discuss your most pressing covid-19 questions, including the brand-new guidelines on reopening schools and much much more coming up in just a moment. but first we are going to start with an important conversation. as you know we've been reporting on the urgent crises in the city of oakland. it's one leader with many causing factors, if you will, many of our neighbors are feeling they are no longer safe. especially prominent attacks on an asian-american resident in recent weeks have really reignited the conversation on race in america.

first, the coronavirus fueled anti-asian racism. but now elderly asian-americans are being attacked, even killed in broad daylight. most recently the deadly attack of a the 91-year-old man, all this part of a recent spike in overall crime across the city and of course not just in oakland but talking about many of america's big cities. as you know this week a top cop starting in the city of oakland. chief la ron armstrong took the helm after the retirement of the interim chief susan manheimer. joining us for her first interview since the end of her tenure. former chief of san mateo and most recently the oakland police department susan manheimer. thanks for joining us. >> thank you, good to be here. >> good to be here or good to have you here. i want to congratulate you on your retirement. because, what, probably the first week you slept eight hours for a long time? >> yeah, it's been a very

immersing experience, i must say. >> well, chief, i'm going to have you look at the camera and not the monitor. i think that's what's happening there. look at the little dot there. i know, one of the things we have to worry about on zoom. it was so much easier when i popped into your office. you took the job on an interim basis last march. the previous chief just fired. calls for reform had been growing. the pandemic was just starting. and black lives matters protests would soon start. you knew it wasn't going to be easy. but, could you have imagined it was this challenging and tumultuous. >> i mean, i don't think in my 37 years of policing we have seen these kinds of confluence of events. if has been one event following another. and frankly, i don't think that i could have imagined this. but i don't think i would have wanted to be anywhere else during this time. it's been a transformative moment in policing, certainly in oakland, certainly in our

country. and it's been just a very, very important time to be involved. >> so you say transformative. so i guess what are you proudest of? and what do you wish could have gone better or differently in terms of the goals you set? >> well, i think i came in with a charge -- the chief had just been abruptly fired. covid- the grand princess stopped at the shores of oejd. and it was a tough transition time. and my original was to come in and provide stability during the transition. who could have known the transitions would be so many over the time? i guess if there is one -- one thing "i" most proud of is that i was able to shepherd the department through and keep us in a position to embrace the movement, movement, the times demanded by our community and leaders, at the same time really welcoming in some of those changes. i think if you were to look back and say what could you have done better, it's almost like this

phone call? i was the covid chief. and "i" one who directly connects and learns from the lenses of the stakeholders i'm involved with. and there was very little time to know and understand the lenses and stakeholders. i was really learning on the fly, depended a lot on staff. i didn't always get it right. but i think at the end of the day we were able to embrace reform, reimagining, move our department forward. and most importantly address the harms in the community. >> well, there's been a rash, though, of violent attacks in oakland recently, especially in chinatown. and just horrible to see. even before the rash, the past year homicides, shootings, robberies were up. and why? did the police, the city do enough? >> yeah, i don't know that you could do more than we and. i think as it evolved we saw five years of progressively decreasing violent crime in

oakland. 50% through a cease fire program. and we slowly started to see that rise. and then there was a tremendous spike the last 3/4s of this last year during the pandemic, shelter in place it went up 80% in violent drug crime. we responded, changed our tactics. you know, the whole criminal justice accountability system slowed down. folks were returning and re-entering our community without the resources they needed. it's really a whole panoply of events. but the bottom line is that our most challenged communities through the pandemic and the socioeconomic challenges were also the ones that were the hardest hit by gun violence. and it has continued and we have really renewed our strategies with our cease fire. now, we are seeing as you mentioned, especially around the chinese lunar new year, that these crimes surfaced in our chinatown within chinatowns and really targeting the elderly chinese across the bay area. and that's something that we've

got to work and forgery that alliance, thats partnership with our merchants and community and stand united to stand up to the crime. >> and spaeeaking of alliance yesterday we were joined by kamau bell host of "united shades of america"" on cnn and actor daniel woo advocating for the china community how to stop the violence. i asked them about the role of police. >> all the discussions are intertwined. we don't want hate violence against asian-americans. we also don't -- i'll speak for myself. i still want to defund the police. i think we can't look at the criminal justice system as being the solution for this thing. >> i think the initial reaction for more policing and the patrolling is it's a direct virus early response. people getting hurt right now. people want to be protected. other than that we have to attack the issue from the base level. and that's the most important thing. i think it's a two-prong approach. >> so what do you think, chief

manheimer? can the community and police, policing co-exist to stem the tide of violence? >> look, i think you are getting -- and they are getting -- i honor both the two individuals. they are both getting to the crux of the issue here. the george floyd demonstrations, the horrific racial unrest that is so righteous in terms of policing and harm. and black and brown communities, and historical context. the question now is the, the ideologies around defunding the police and the harms the police have caused in the history as well as the fact that police retail a needed and necessary part of our security, that's the realities of the moment. you need a badge and a gun to respond to gun violence. and so i think where we end up as a community, as a nation in this discussion is that transformative moment i talked about earlier. and we've got to look at all lenses and reconcile them, frankly. community policing back in the

the '80s really laid it all on the feet of the police. you are the responders. you will handle everything. and look what happened. mental health, homelessness, all the other issues that don't require a badge and a gun -- we in policing welcome the opportunity to have more trauma-informed responses, while we focused in with the community reconciling those lenses. and the question becomes -- and i love where oakland is sort of getting to now. it started with defund, came to reimagine, that clash of ideology and reality. and the question now is being raised in oakland, how do we ensure safety for our black and brown communities, especially that are under such violent crime? and do that in a way where the police don't do more harm but provide safety. and that's where we need to all work together. >> look, i've got time for only one more question. it's got to be -- i know you've been supportive of the new

chief. allow armstrong. what does he bring to the community and what does he need to succeed? >> well, first of all, he is a native son, right, born and bred in west oakland. he brings the lens, the lived experience. he brings the empathy. i think that what he needs is really some patience and support from the community. we have a community that has a lot of doubts and a lot of, you know, hostility towards our department for many righteous incidents of the past. but i think it's time to put all that aside and figure out how we forge the alliance of safety for those most impacted by violence. and i think he is positioned well to do that. he has the skills. and really let's get in support around him that he needs to deliver the department with that empathic lens to help the safety in the community. >> all right. former san mateo police chief and then interim oakland police chief, susan manheimer, congratulations again on your

retirement. for now i do wish you a little zen time before you decide on your next venture. take good care thank you. >> thank you. >> bye beyrer. >> when question come back we'll talk about covid-19 and the vaccines. our good friend dr. patel will join us to answer your questions on covid and also when you might get your vaccine. and there are new changes announced by the

practice my pronunciation again. >> welcome back. this is an important week in the battle against covid-19. case numbers in california continue to show progress. the national effort to vaccinate americans seems to be picking up steam. but the debate over what td next still lots of questions, more questions than answers. but we will get g some answers. here are some of the latest

headlines to know in the state's fight against the viruses virus. new cases topped 10,000 after a few days dipping below. both the one and two-week positivity rates decreased slightly. talking about california here once again. the 7-day sits at 4.3%. the 14-day at 5.1%. so much better than the 10% we had a while ago. both goods signs falling trends. a big one just coming down. dr. mark ghaliy says as of march 15th. california allows health provider procedures to use discretion in giving shots to people ages 16 to 64. perhaps you're in that category. but it's only if they have high risks based on health conditions. so we'll talk more about that. joining us to break down all of this is our good friend and abc 7 news special correspondent. dr. patel. dr. patel you'll be joining our vaccine townhall which starts at 4:00 p.m. that's in 47 minutes. so this is a perfect warmup. welcome, welcome. and happy lunar new year.

>> happy lunar new year to you kristen. >> you know it in more languages i think than me. >> i will say friends. and to me my vietnamese family and friends. >> i'll master korean for the next chat. but right now everybody put on thinking caps i'm putting mine on. because there are headlines this week on covid. let's get to the latest covid version of two truths and a lie. >> let's do it. viewers know what td. tell me which one is not true. >> okay. >> a. two cases of the b 1351 variant have been identified in the bay area. b. nearly five pages of the cdc's blueprint to reopen schools is about improving venleation. or is it c? new mavericking guidelines recommend either double masking or knotting and tucking a

surgical mask. >> which one is not true. >> go ahead and put in answers on facebook live. at home just think about it. and the esp it to me because i need the answer. i think i know this one. you're taking it easy on me because it's lunar new year. i know we have two cases of south african variant. one in alameda, one in santa clara county. i know the new mask guidelines do ask that you double mask or knot the loops so -- the ear loops so it's tighter and you get the snug fit. i did read today that the cdc school blueprint that just came out today, there was criticism that it didn't seem to have enough about ventilation. i'm going to say 2 is the lie. 2. >> abc, 1, 2, 3. >> most people saying 2 facebook. somebody said b because we're used to the abc you did before. it's all 2s. that's the final answer. >> and "i" impressed by you and all viewers.

because 2 is not correct. that actually was an important criticism that i noticed in looking through the 38 pages is there is only one little paragraph about the importance of ventilation in a school setting. when previously in talking about reopening schools and all businesses, ventilation was a big part of it. it's interesting that it didn't play a big part in things like cleaning surfaces and cleaning playground equipment had more space on the reopening guideline than ventilation. one we know is true. i gave it the lineage name rather than the south african variant. with you you saw through it. it is here. like we saw with the original lynn yan of sarps cov 2. there are probably more cases than identified. and c is definitely true. i can't knot and double tusk my surgical mask it's too cumbersome so i'm a double mask they are public. >> just another follow-up on the cdc school guidelines, they didn't tie it to -- the

conclusion i think is that schools can safely reopen especially for the under 8th grade and nothing about tying it to vaccines right. >> there wasn't. and there are kristen there are several points -- i don't want to say criticism p. but several points of discussion around the reopening glinsz and that's one. a lot of people were expecting some type of mandate about vaccines. but i think dr. wolens ski, she kind of reiterated what she mentioned last week when she was talking about reopening schools at vaccination for educators or teachers was not mandatory. a lot of teachers union disagree with her and say they want vaccines. but i think the important thing to know is that we can safely get our kids back to school, depending on resources and community transmission while educators and teachers are getting vaccinated. so if there is a situation where that's possible -- and a resource, an an area with the right resource to get that done we need to prior advertise our

getting our kids back and the dialogue should be between the teacher union and local policy makers we want everybody safe and supported. >> hopefully these guidelines provide a good blueprint to work from. another big headline today we discuss, is that dr. mark ghaliy said they are opening up more eligibility to four to six million. and doctors can at that point use discretion to give the vaccine to people from 16 to 64 years old who have health conditions that make them high risk. can you talk about the pros and cons of this move? >> absolutely. and i think the pro is pretty evident. is that people with high risk medical conditions who don't necessarily fall into -- under the group of front line essential workers or who are above the age of 65 or 75 are still high risk of getting severe complications from covid-19. this is a good way to make sure we are covering the people needing coverage. another pro. -- i heard this anecdotally it's difficult to go to a mass

vaccination site and saying i have copbd, type 2 diabetes or immunocompromised. that's something a health care provider can verify for people. one con -- but i think they addressed this in the actual statement -- is which conditions qualify? and so there are some out there that are high yield, diabetes, heart diaz, people immunocompromised. but there is a fine line about does this count as a high risk medical condition or not? what about my treatment? i think that's where physicians, nurses, health care providers have to sit and assess the individual situation. i'll give you one important kpavrmt. in nevada there is a zeebt because people with type type two tibts are high risk and type one diabetes are not. that's something that has to be addressed march 15th. >> thanks dr. patel don't go away. we'll

we have the power to harness california's abundant wind and solar energy,

but it's not available all day long. use less from 4 to 9 pm and we can protect california for generations to come. asthma, how well they're controlled. if they're on medications.

>> time's up. all right welcome back. joined by dr. patel of ucsf to get the bottom of your questions. submit your questions on the facebook live page. we are ready for another round of two truths focusing on swraksen. we have a 4:00 townhall dr. patel is part of. let's learn more with you two truths and a lie. start thinking everybody. >> let's do it. tell me which one of these -- massachusetts began a bud du vaccination system. anyone accompanying a 75-year-old can actually go and get a shot as well. b, the fda told moderna it can now put up to 40% more vaccine in each vial. or is it c, the white house says the u.s. will have enough vaccines for 300 million americans by the end of april? which one is not true. >> first of all you said 300 million americans. but the graphic says 300 million vaccines.

i imagine that means doses. vaccine doses. which one do you want to go with? >> or does it not make a difference? >> i misspoke. but we'll say why don't we say -- we're going to say 300 million americans. >> let me think this through. this is tougher than the last round. viewers on facebook live give me your one, two, three. i see a three. i see a two. okay what do i see? i see more twos. i did read the fda told moderna it can add more vaccine in a vial. i don't know if it's 40%. i can't imagine the buddy vaccine program could be true. if you accompany someone over 75 you can get it. i don't know. i guess i will say -- i will say one is the lie. that's going against our viewers. i probably made a bad move but that's my answer. >> one is true. you want to take another guess? >> well, the producer just put up the answer. so. >> oh. >> it would be a cheating guess.

but it's false white house says it has 300 million vaccines by the end of april. it's by the summer wasn't it. >> it is. two things just to clarify. because i think people see the number 300 million doses versus people. now the white house announced they bought 200 million more doses of the moderna and pfizer vaccine. the total supply by end of july, possibly august. which is enough to give two shots to vaccinate 300 million people. as of where we are right now that could be herd immunity if we get that done. that's optimistic news. obviously there is a logistical challenge to make sure the sites are set up and supplies getting to people and people get the shot. we talked about vaccine hesitancy. let's talk about one for a moment. that's an interesting experiment. interesting thing to address. there are people high risk and unable to go and get to a vaccination site. it's important that they are --

someone drives them, caring for them, next to them being monitored. if it works out successfully in massachusetts it could be a pilot program for other parts of the country where there may be resource poor communities. and maybe there is not enough mobile vaccine clinics. and there is a way to get people incentivized -- unfortunately it sucks we have to think about it that way. but incentivized to go help people. arizona has a volunteer vaccination program and people are signing up left and right to get shots. it's interesting to follow. i'll say it quickly but yes the fda told moderna you can put 40% more. each vial might have 14 doses not just 10. >> good ones. do you have a delete that tweet for us where you see what's on social media and take the most egregiously wrong ones of misinformation and squash it like a bug? >> i do this is recurring. i don't remember how the producer words this. but i've seen different iterations of people saying,

hey, we don't anything about the long-term side effects of the vaccine or people saying like, i don't want to take the vaccine because we don't know what could happen long-term. what i tell people with that, first and force foremost millions of vaccines have been distributed worldwide in the united states we're approaching 40 million people getting vaccinated. everyone is closely monitored. for any type of adverse rexs. the majority of adverse reactions when i say adverse i mean reactions not expected usually happen within two months of get people getting the shot. we're approaching one year of the first people getting shots in clinical trials. and 99.9% of reported reactions are normal, the reaction. react jensty. sore arm or mileagia. there isn't a belief it could do something crazy in the long-term future. some people bleechlg this also believe it could alter dna or the ingredients may cause long-term harm and neither one of those are thought to be true right now. but just for due diligence.

science is monitor being every person who got the shot. >> thank you for clearing that

i'm happy to mail these or you or the director or anyone. >> you know where i live or at least work. thank you for joining us today on this interactive show, "getting answers." we'll be here every weekday on air and live stream answering questions. we have many more questions coming your way in just 30 minutes because our abc 7 news vaccine toum is taking questions live on the air, members ever our abc 7 news vaccine team and other experts, including our own dr. patel will be joining that with us as part of this discussion. so if i didn't get to all your questions, take part in the townhall and perhaps they will get addressed then. until then, you can get the

latest headlines right now on abc7news.com or on the abc 7 news app tonight, late developments in the impeachment trial of former president trump. the defense presenting its case and resting after less than three hours. the former president's legal team calling this impeachment political vengeance. lawyers defending the former president's speech to supporters on january 6th when he told them to "fight like hell." as come on the air, questions from both sides. and after the democrats said the president had been told in a phone call that mike pence was in danger, senator mitt romney askidi