canada build a better bay area as for a safe and secure 5:30. this is abc 7 news. welcome to theñday willy program called getting answers, asking experts your questions in realtime. we're also standing by for a network special report. president joe biden is leading a candle light vigil, a ceremony. a moment of silence as well for the 500 now lives lost to covid-19 in the u.s. and we'll air that when it happens. so it could be any minute now. until then we'll begin with ucsf infectious disease specialist dr. chin-hong. >> thanks for having me on. absolutely of course the big headline is 500,000 covid-19

deaths in the u.s. now a year ago, if somebody told you that waç going to be the number we would be at today, what would you have thought? >> i would say they were joking. and i wouldn't believe it. it's a good 12 months to get to 100,000 and we thought it couldn't get worse than that. by the summer we were projecting. scientists were projecting a lot of people were not believing it. from 400,000 to 500,000 it took a matter of weeks. >> dr. peter chin-hong we got the 1.5 minute warning from the biden folks. that's how much time we have. and then we'll carry the biden ceremony. afterwards if there is time to talk we will do that we are the third most populous nation in the world behind china and india. we are number one in covid-19 deaths and per capita we are number 7 in terms of covid

deaths. the only other g-7 nation with more deaths is britain. >> why. >> it's baups of two main things when i distill it wab lack of alignment of politics and scientists. we acted like 50 different countries but without border screening and a very porous border. >> all right. so look any positive signs? >> things are looking down -- coming down. we have the science to protect ourselves. the only variable is human behavior. >> all right. we are about to take president biden. but until we get to that, i do want ask you today, ucsf latino task force -- are we starting. we are start. dr. chin-hong. hang on.

about their dreams, who wore the uniform, born to serve, who loved, played, and always offered a hand. we often hear people described as ordinary americans. there's no such thing. there's nothing ordinary about them. the people we lost were extraordinary. they spanned generations. born in america, immigrated to america, but just like that, so many of them took their final breath alone in america. as a nation, we can't accept

such a cruel fate. while we've been fighting this pandemic for so long, we have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow. we have to resist viewing each life as a statistic or a blur or on the news. we must do so to honor the dead, but equally important, care for the living, those left behind. for the loved ones left behind. i know all too well. i know what it's like to not be there when it happens. i know what it's like when you are there, holding their hands, as you look in their eye and they slip away. that black hole in your chest, you feel like you're being sucked into it. the survivors' remorse, the anger, the questions of faith in

your soul. for some of you, it's been a year, a month, a week, a day, even an hour. and i know that when you stare at that empty chair around the kitchen table, it brings it all back no matter how long ago it happened, as if it just happened that moment, you look at that empty chair. the birthdays, the anniversaries, the holidays without them, and the everyday things, the small things, the tiny things that you miss the most. that scent when you open the closet, that park you go by that you used to stroll in. that movie theater where you met. the morning coffee you shared together. the bend in his smile, the perfect pitch to her laugh. i received a letter from a daughter whose father died of

covid-19 on easter sunday last year. she and her children, his grandchildren, enter lent this season, a season of reflection and renewal, with heavy hearts, unable to properly mourn, she asked me in the letter, what was our loss among so many others? well, that's what has been so cruel. so many of the rituals that help us cope, that help us honor those we loved, haven't been available to us. the final rites with family gathered around, the proper home going showered with stories and love, tribal leaders passing out the final traditions of sacred cultures on sacred lands. as a nation, we cannot and we

must not let this go on. that's why the day before my inauguration, at the covid-19 memorial, at the reflecting pool on the national mall, i said to heal, to heal, we must remember. i know it's hard. i promise you, i know it's hard. i remember. but that's how you heal. you have to remember. and it's also important to do that as a nation. for those who have lost loved ones, this is what i know. they're never truly gone. they'll always be part of your heart. i know this as well. and it seems unbelievable, but i promise you, the day will come when the memory of the loved one you lost will bring a smile to your lips before a tear to your eye.

it will come, i promise you. my prayer for you is that day will come sooner rather than later, and that's when you know you're going to be okay. you're going to be okay. and for me, the way through sorrow and grief is defined purpose. i don't know how many of you lost someone a while ago wondering, is he or she proud of me now? is this what they want me to do? i know that's how i feel. and we can find purpose, purpose worthy of the lives they lived and worthy of the country we love. so, today, i ask all americans to remember. remember those we lost and those who are left behind. but as you remember, as we all

remember, i also ask us to act, to remain vigilant, to stay socially distanced, to mask up, get vaccinated when it's your turn. we must end the politics and misinformation that's divided families, communities in the country. it's cost too many lives already. it's not democrats and republicans who are dying from the virus. it's our fellow americans. it's our neighbors, our friends, our mothers, our fathers, our sons, our daughters. husbands, wives. we have to fight this together as one people, as the united states of america. that's the only way we're going to beat this virus, i promise you. the only way to spare more pain and more loss, the only way these milestones no longer mark

our national mourning, milestones, i should say, no longer mark our national mourning. let this not be a story of how far we fell but of how far we cla climbed back up. we can do this. for in this year of profound loss, we've seen profound courage from all of you on the front lines. i know the stress, the trauma, the grief you carry. but you give us hope. you keep us going. when you remind us that we do take care of our own, that we leave nobody behind, and that while we've been humbled, we have never given up. we are america. we can and will do this. in just a few minutes, jill and i, kamala and doug will hold a moment of silence here in the white house, the people's house,

your house. we ask you to join us, to remember so we can heal, to find purpose in the work ahead, to show that there is light in the darkness. the nation will smile again. this nation will know sunny days again. this nation will know joy again. and as we do, we'll remember each person we've lost, the lives they lived, the loved ones they left behind. we will get through this, i promise you. but my art aches for those of you who are going through it right now. may god bless you all, particularly those who have lost someone. god bless you. >> and there you have it. president biden at the white house talking about the staggering loss this country has faced in just the last year. he said, we've lost more people

than we lost in world war i, world war ii, and the vietnam war all combined. more lives lost than any other nation on earth, and he said, remember each person and the life that they lived. our chief white house correspondent cecilia vega watching along with me. and cecilia, there was so much talk before the election that if joe biden were elected, he would be the comforter in chief. he would not hide his own pain from the american people in trying to help them get through this. >> you could see it on his face right there, david. this is a president who is deeply and profoundly moved by what is happening in our country today, what has led up to this moment, because this is a man who, in his heart, has lived through this. this is not -- these are not just words. this is someone who knows profoundly what grief and loss is. he lost his wife. he lost his young daughter. he lost his son just a few years ago to brain cancer. when you speak to people who

know joe biden, they tell you, this is the joe biden that they know and love. that someone who can speak with compassion, that someone who understands, in his soul, what it means to lose a family member and when he tells you -- the american public tonight that he knows what that feeling is like, to look out and see an empty chair at that dinner table, he's speaking from experience, and he also said, david, there will come a time when you will smile in remembering these people that we have lost. the smile will come before the tears, and he knows that in speaking through personal experience. >> cecilia, thank you. and with our eyes trained on the south portico there, we are awaiting the president, the first lady, the vice president, the second gentleman leading the nation in a moment of silence to honor those who have been lost. the president also recognizing that he must also rally a nation, even while we're in the middle of all of this. he said, i ask americans to remember those who were lost but i also ask you to act. to continue to social distance,

to wear masks, to get vaccinated if and when it becomes available. we all know that delays across this country and certainly the storms of the last week have only added to the challenge. but he made a point of speaking to the frontline workers, the heroes, the families who have lost loved ones, and he said, you give us hope. you keep us going. and dr. jen ashton, a year ago, you and i came on the air with just those early numbers and even back then, we vowed to make sure we remembered these were lives. >> david, this -- this milestone is simply inconceivable to have been reached in just about a year. to put this into medical context, at various points in the last year, covid-19-related deaths have been the leading cause of death in the united states. we are at or around the number of people who die every year from heart disease and cancer,

and i was so happy to hear president biden use the exact and latest number, 500,071. at least covid-related deaths. i mean, it is every single one of those is a life, david, not a statistic, not a number. >> and it's our job to help remember each and every one of those lives the best we can. a moment of silence amid the 500 candles meant to represent the 500,000 american lives lost.

[ church bells ringing ]

>> the president, the first lady, the vice president, and the second gentleman heading back into the white house after marking that moment. we know the bells tolling at the national cathedral, 500 times, also to represent that 500,000 mark, and as jen ashton pointed out, the president said 500,071 lives, made a point of getting it down to the number even though we know that number increases likely as we've been on the air. one other note, president biden has also ordered flags to be flown at half staff on federal grounds until sunset or february 26th in our country to pay respects and there you see the flag there at the white house. we are going to take a moment on wor"world news tonight" this

evening to honor those who have been lost and interview the families who have been brave enough to come forward to share their stories, so we'll see you for that shortly. in the meantime, we continue our coverage on abc news live on our so that was an abc news special report, as the u.s. marks over 500,000 deaths in the u.s. from covid-19. president biden leading a candle light lighting ceremony there and a moment of silence. we when

but behind each number is a person, a person with some -- we're coming back on air. okay. welcome back. we have dr. peter chin-hong of ucsf back with us after the biden candle lighting ceremony to mark the 50 oh mark -- 500,000 mark, if you will, of americans sadly and tragedically that died of the pandemic which began here in the u.s. anyways about a year ago. so much has happened. but dr. chin-hong, i want to ask

you about some local stuff happening today. because ucsf latino task force today 9■nounced a new variant, r 452 r is very prevalent in the mission district of san francisco. what is that variant, and why is that of extra concern? >so the variant is part of that same family of california variants, cal-20, where it's right now is seems that it's not u the uk variant. although that may pan out to be the case. but it certain has the features. fr)st of all is went from less than 1% in september. to now accounting for more than 50% of cases in january. it's linked to several outbreaks from san jose, including the kaiser inflatable costume super-spreader event, and it may be associated more serious

disease. although we're not 100% sure yet. >> that is of concern. but i'm glad we're doing more againp cases. that's good. i want to ask you about a new cdc report published today that says educators are likely to play a central role in transmission in school. in as a big push is ma÷e in california to get kids in school. people may be alarmed by the headline but i have us the particulars of thq investigation. >> any looked at a few schools in the atlanta district and found that educate esper, teachers were more likely to be the source. you know, to many of us it's not surprising. it's what we had thought of fat in the pandemic, of course not everybody, particularly in georgia at that time was using all of the protection. so i think that is the caveat. but the reverse is that it

wasn't the kids that were the syess pool of covid as everyone appeared. >> that was the prevalent thi,■ing that the teachers might get it from the kids. i also think they -- correct me if i'm wrong, but they said in a lot of those cases students sat less than three feet apart from "ép'd that some of the transmission from teachers to students $appened in small group instruction when they were closer and also some of the transmissions there was lack of masks. should it this finding keep from us opening schools? or do you think it just means we must do those mitigation protocols, carefully following it diligently but we can still open? what do you think. still open. there was alsoña previous cdc study in the state of wisconsin where there were masks worn owner social distance. andere zero cases identified in 15 school districts during the wisconsin surge of transmission.

so, again if you do things well, we know what to do, things will generally be be cafe. >> the counties kwo move to the red tier from purple meaning indoors activities like gym, dining and movie theaters could reopen with capacity limits. should the counties choose to do it? how do you feel about the possibility. >> i think given the rate of decline now, the fact that we are going to be data driven, so that with increasing liberties we can always -- and also go backwarñs, i think it's okay. because, again, we know what to do. ■ppersonally i probably would b comfortable more on the outside rather than the inside. but, again, if there is tjt ventilation, people are wearing masks, we learn from over time that it could be done safely. >> let's talk about the vaccine. costco will start giving out shots. more cvs stores and safeway is the vaccine distribution

bottle neck starting to ease. >> it's definitely starting to ease. i think there are more places now that have undergone a dress he hersle. the issue is more supply. currently i think that will be, you know, diminished soon, that problem. and again with blue cross there are pros and cons -- i'm sorry, blue shield. but at least we think that it will be at least somewhat organized, hopefully to get the dose that is we get out. >> so given the vaccine outlook and what's coming online, and the numbers, when do you think the vast majority of american adults can be vaccinated. >> i'd say the end of summer is my guesstimate. if we can get if a done earlier that would be better. because apart from pfizer and moderna, as you know three other vaccine companies in the pipeline, soon to release

results or initial results already there, like j&j. they will add to the numbers that we already have with pfizer and moderna. at least with one shot many people can rise up to that level of protection. >> okay. so if we get to that point, why is that dr. fauci today said that americans may have to be wearing masks into 2022 next year? is that just to be extra cautious, maybe preventing things like the flu, you know, tell me about what we think by then. be wearing masks. probably it will be a hybrid. maybe just in high risk situations. maybe there will be a distinction between people who hav■ gotten vaccines and not like in israel. although that's playinged with some ethical issues. i think the reason why we can't dispense with masks is because first of all not everybody is going to be getting the vaccine. some people may be still worried or hesitant.

there still be will be pockets of covid circulating. we don't know about the variants. and the new variants that still haven't been described, right so there may be another vaernlt yet to be defined. all of these uncertaintities make them make the statement. >> all right. dr. peter chin-hong, alms appreciateowner insight and the latest information and appreciate you sticking with us also today during president biden's candle lighting ceremony, as we mark 500,000 covid deaths in the u.s. thank you so much. take good care. i'll talk to you again soon. >>

>> thank you.

and we are back. i want to thank you for joining us for #oor today's show "getting answers." we'll be every weekday at tonight, as we come on the air, what we witnessed just moments ago. the president acknowledging a painful and sobering milestone. more than 500,000 lives lost to the pandemic. the nation pausing tonight to pay respects to the families forever changed. moments ago, president biden leading the country in a moment of silence. bells at the national cathedral tolling 500 times in memory of the 500,000 who have now died. nearly one american dying from covid every minute for nearly an entire year. tonight, drment anthony fauci calling it a stunning figure and recalling last winter when health officials were accused of exaggerating, when they predicted a death toll as high as 240,000. we have now more than doubled that. the highly