s. the ability to know where this vaccine is and to whom it's been administered is extraordinarily valuable. >> an exclusive interview with the ceo of blue shield. how the health care provider hopes accelerate the vaccination process. 90,000 vaccination appointments could be cancelled. the miscommunication sutter health says is to blame. and three new counties in the red. where more businesses can reopen just over 24 hours from now. tens of thousands of vaccine appointments could be cancelled. the big problem impacting a lot of sutter health patients here in the bay area. good evening, i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm dan ashley. thank you for joining us. sutter health says it could cancel more than 90,000 appointments across northern california. it's raising questions about how

the state has been managing vaccine allocation. abc 7 news i-team reporter stephanie sierra is digging into it. >> reporter: it's the last thing 80-year-old shawn shiek wanted to hear. sutter health suddenly cancelled his second vaccine appointment scheduled for tuesday morning, giving no opportunity to reschedule. >> it should not happen. >> reporter: after showing up to the sutter health clinic in santa clara county, he received this flier and was told -- >> it says the system does not allow because they don't have the vaccine. >> reporter: aside from santa clara, viewers are reporting the same issues in san francisco, san mateo and alameda counties. one writing checked onsite. all doses cancelled until further notice. sutter health confirmed more than 90,000 first and second dose appointments could be cancelled due to a delay of shipments stemming from bad weather to miscommunication from the state. the health care system told abc 7 we are in the process of

notifying patients with second dose appointments scheduled through march 9th to let them know that their current appointment needs to be cancelled due to insufficient supply. we will call them in seven to ten days to reschedule. sutter is requesting more doses from the state and blue shield claiming the state misunderstood their inventory of first and second doses. >> the data from sutter health was not getting cleanly through to the state. and so the state has believed for multiple weeks that sutter had a large inventory of doses. but that wasn't true. >> reporter: blue shield's ceo says the first incoming batch of doses for sutter should arrive by early next week. >> we are going to be putting a lot more doses toward sutter in the next couple of weeks so that they can reschedule those appointments as opposed to cancel them. >> reporter: he added sutter's situation is why all providers should be linked on a performance management system in order to keep an accurate inventory counting so immunocompromised essential

workers aren't left waiting. >> we all go to work with a lot of fear. >> reporter: we reached out to the california department of public health for further comment but have yet to hear back. >> as stephanie just mentioned, blue shield took over the state's vaccination distribution this week. abc 7 news reporter luz pena spoke to the company's ceo about the plans moving forward. it's an interview you'll see only on 7. luz. >> reporter: ama, blue shield says their goal is to increase the state's capacity of delivery of covid-19 vaccines from 1 million doses per week to 4 million doses. blue shield's ceo says they are on track to accomplish in this goal and gave us insight as to how they're planning to expedite this process. it's day two of blue shield taking over california's vaccine distribution network. to understand where they're headed, we sat down with blue shield's ceo. walk us through, when we talk about blue shield taking over

the california vaccine distribution, what specifically is your role? >> the main role that we're playing is to try to implement a performance management system so that we know where the vaccine is at all times. from the time it's allocated by the federal government to the state of california to the time it's injected into somebody's arm. >> reporter: as it stands now, california is using a mathematical formula to dide who gets vaccinated first. so we asked. >> but when we're talking about this algorithm, are you saying that maybe in some cases the state will not be using this algorithm and instead listen to what blue shield is recommending? >> i think there's always going to be circumstances where you can't just do this based on a mathematical formula. that approach is used to try and simplify the ability to take priorities and drive them through, but there's always going to be other factors i think the state will want to take into consideration. >> reporter: i've spoken to several medical professionals who tell me that implementing a new system now could set vaccine

distribution back. will there be delays? >> no. we can't -- it has to be an and not an or. we have to make sure we maintain momentum in vaccinating people, that we don't disrupt the current progress that we have, and transition on to a new performance management system. and that's really the key part of our roll. >> reporter: he says their goal is to vaccinate 25 million people by this summer. >> how is blue shield deciding which counties and health care providers receive a certain amount of doses? >> the priorities of the state and which populations are in the highest priority. for example, if over 65 is a part of your eligible population and certain employment sectors are, what percentage of the population in a given county is made up of the eligible population? >> but it turns out that if california decides they don't agree with blue shield's recommendations, they can simply change their vaccine distribution plan. >> the state continues to make

decisions on how this gets allocated, but blue shield is making recommendations. >> blue shield's ceo says they are prioritizing their vaccine allocation plan based on several factors, includihe fenenghat c iovid-19s as a percentage of the population and what is the death rate for covid-19 also as a percentage of a population in each region. luz pena, abc 7 news. >> luz, can you tell us why california chose blue shield for this role? >> yeah, he says they have a network of over 65,000 physicians, thousands of pharmacies and over 350 hospitals across all 58 counties in the state. he says they're ready. >> all right, thank you so much, luz. it was just a couple of weeks ago when president biden promised to have enough vaccines for everyone in the country by the end of july. he's speeding up that timeline big-time. >> this country will have enough

vaccine supply, i'll say it again, for every adult in america by the end of may. >> end of may he says. merck stepping up to manufacture the johnson & johnson vaccine is part of the reason the president made the announcement today. production is ramping up of the moderna and pfizer vaccines and the white house will increase delivery to more than 15 million doses per week. we're getting o stir vaccine being administered. 86-year-old barbara from columbus, ohio, got the shot today. she said she is relieved and she urged others to get the evacuativaccine. three more bay area counties are now in the red tier. san francisco, santa clara and napa joined marin and san mateo counties. chris nguyen explains some of the changes in the south bay. >> reporter: in north san jose, word of santa claramo into the have come at arteet celebrating >> reporter: a fresh came on

indian food just celebrated its grand opening last week and is now preparing for indoor dining starting tomorrow. >> to be able to have customers come and experience not only our food but the environment in this place. >> reporter: the county has announced that it will now largely align itself with the state's reopening framework, a majosiri t ifshr t c public health officials here had taken a stricter stance on some activities over the past year. to coincide with the restrictions, they are dropping the mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement for those traveling more than 150 miles outside of the county. >> we have and wehail w we can safeguard the health of everyone living and working in our county. >> reporter: santa clara county is focusing its efforts on vaccinating as many people as possible. earlier this week, vaccine eligibility was expanded to include more frontline workers as part of the state's phase 1b. a new vaccination clinic for educators also opened at the county fairgrounds. the push comes as the governor

stopped in palo alto to talk about the $6.6 billion deal he struck with state lawmakers to help schools safely reopening s >> it's about transparency, it's about accountability, it's about putting real money up, it's about addressing those concerns. >> reporter: whether it's education or the economy, many in the community are relieved to see santa clara county moving in the right direction. >> i'm so excited that it -- you know, it's happening. >> reporter: in the south chris nguyen, abc 7 news. san francisco also is moving to the red tier and a lot of familiar things are returning. museums, the zoo and aquarium can now have 25% capacity. the ferris wheel in golden gate pa c start running again as well. changes will also be coming to transportation as the city starts to come back to life. the f market line street car will be taking passengers in may and expect to see a san francisco icon running at some point this year. now, you know we're not san francisco without cable cars, so

just so you know, the cable cars are coming back and they're coming back sometime this year, dateo in t.be >> indoor dining is returning but the city has a lot of restrictions. service has to ending at 10:00 p.m. and only one family of four can eat at a table. >> here's a closer look at what the state allows in the red tier. you can eat indoors at restaurants as long as there are 100 or fewer people there or just 25% capacity, whichever is less. you can go to the movies with a maximum 25% capacity, same for indoor museums. indoor gyms and fitness studios can have 10% capacity. retail stores including malls can bump up capacity to 50%. schools that haven't reopened for in-person learning can file plans to do so once they have been out of the purple tier for five days. i was just like, oh, my god, is he going to die? it was really, really scary. >> it was scary. dogs and drugs. several pets get sick after visiting one san francisco park.

authorities in southern california are now investigating a devastating crash that killed 13 people packed inside an suv. the 1997 ford expedition with 25 people inside collided with a big rig near the imperial county town of holtville, 100 miles east of san diego. authorities aren't sure how fast either vehicleas w investigators say some passengers were thrown from the suv which had no rear seats. the 22-year-old driver was among those killed. several passengers and the 69-year-old big rig driver are now being treated for injuries. several pets are being treated after inguesting

marijuana and meth that they pickedup in a park. three owners talked with us ome. sweetie. car >> reporter: one ago, w kee oliver was romping with his owner on this grassy knoll in popular lafayette park. she noticed he ate something before she could intervene. hours later he landed in emergency vet care. >> when i got the call that they foundingtahempsnemi methadone, i was like oh, my god, is he going to die? it was really, really scary. >> he made it, though? >> he did. >> it really is eye-opening for owners. >> reporter: this dog owner suspects a marijuana edible sickened his dog in lafayette park. >> i do know that someone who i wasn't familiar with gave her a treat. this was around noon. by like 3:00 or 4:00, she was completely almost catatonic. >> georgia was put on an iv and

later released. francisco animal care and control, they said most of the time dogsin gest with drug residue and then get sick. >> the vet mentioned that also. >> reporter: marcy cortez says she won't let her nephew play in the grass and keeps her dog away from it. >> she loves eating grass. >> reporter: this is max. he was also hospitalized after consuming marijuana near the park. and contracted aspiration pneumonia from the intubation. the san francisco spca says half the cases they see of dogs eating marijuana or methamphetamine involve unknown texposuhare ts, ieth injested it out on a city street or in a park. a tent encampment won a court fight allowing occupants to stay there.

a judge barred the city from enforcing a daytime camping ban or clearing the camp. the city council voted to move the camp near the u.s. army corps of engineer debris yard. people who live at the camp say the city has been putting the safety of campers in jeopardy. small group of loud people who just don't want to see the reality of housing in the bay area right now. >> those who live at the camp say they'll now ask the city to pay for bathrooms and other basic services. the city is reviewing the court ruling and is working to find housing options for encampment occupants. the series "soul of a nation" premieres tonight. it's a program created by black people for all people. >> julian glover spoke with national correspondent and co-anchor of "nightline" byron

pitts about what to expect. >> "soul of a nation" a program of black people for all people looking at the many things. you're talking about the struggles of the black experience but also highlighting black joy. what should viewers expect in this first episode and beyond? >> i think it's meant to be a glimpse into a particular slice of the american experience. this notion that we are a nation, your community in san francisco is a perfect example of that, that the quilt of america is a rich and diverse acthteans one thing to be an american certainly, and for all of us who come from different communities are different slices of that quilt. and so tight and every tuesday for the next six weeks we will look very intentionally, black experience as relates to the aman icerexperience. >> you can watch the first episode of the illuminpagin ser nation" tonight at 10:00 right

here on abc 7. >> profoundly important television. includes a discussion on reparations with danny erovgl, an exclusive interview with harry dunn and an original music performance by john gelek. outside now from our camera on sutro tower

all right that's a fifth-floor problem... ok. not in my house! ha ha ha! ha ha ha! no no no! not today! ha ha ha! ha ha ha!

jimmy how happy fotoe areiwhcoa happier than dikembe mutumbo blocking a shot. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. the state's monthly snow survey in the sierra is showing mixed results. the tests done by the department of water resources near south lake tahoe recorded a snowpack of 86% of normal for this date. that figure represents 83% of the april 1st average. that's the date when the snowpack is typically at its peak. the state wide numbers are looking worse. the automated snow survey network shows the snowpack is just 61% of normal for this date.

san francisco bay ferry says ridership increased by double digits last week but the number of people taking ferries is still a fraction of what it was before the pandemic. boats between san francisco, richmond, oakland, alameda and vallejo are capped at 25% of their original capacity. that works out to 100 passengers for most of those boats. the busiest was at 4:30 with 80 passengers. did that squirrel hop on? one more ticket, please. >> that was a cute shot actually. >> it was great. highlight of the day. sandhya. >> absolutely, without a doubt. dan and ama, i have some good news to report. our accuweather seven-day forecast is beginning to show signs of winter. so let me show you live doppler 7. if you're looking outside you're probably thinking is the rain coming? not immediately, but we do have it in the forecast. we're seeing a lot of clouds on

live doppler 7. they're all in association with an area of low pressure spinning off the coast. this system is going into uthero will will will continue to sendi us more cloud. you can see just how gray it .i oakland, san jose 52 and half moon bay. most areas were cooler today. a live look from our san jose camera, just barely a little bit of sun there as it's being dimmed by the clouds. low 60s from napa to santa rosa, 64 in livermore. some of our mildest inland valleys did make it up into the low 70s today. here's a view from our golden gate bridge camera. we have the flag blowing, a little bit of a breeze. mostly cloudy skies overnight. dry and above average temperatures will continue the next two days and the pattern changes friday night bringing the first signs of rain. so here's a look at those temperatures first thing in the morning, mid-30s to upper 40s. with the cloud cover it's not quite as cold as it was this

morning. you may have felt that chill. tomorrow afternoon you're looking at temperatures ranging from the mid-50s to the upper 60s unless you're out towards solano county. you'll see a few low 70s there. a lot like today you'll see the sun getting filtered by higher clouds. a level 1 system is coming in friday night into early saturday. mainly light rain, roads and breezy at times. as we look at the hour-by-hour forecast, some rain tomorrow. as we head into friday night the rain begins here in the bay area and spreads early saturday morning, but then it's gone pretty quick. it will bring more much-needed snow to the sierra on saturday and another system is coming in for your monday going into tuesday. that's going to bring us more wet weather. as you know, we definitely need it. now, it'sot n g rainfall, but take a looktht a tuesday evening. about 0.41 of an inch in san francisco. you'll notice higher totals where they have been most of the time which is the pacific

northwest. the accuweather seven-day forecast, filtered sunshine tomorrow, a little cooler for your thursday and then we bring in a level 1 system friday night into saturday. breezy with some showers as we head into monday and tuesday. we have still some unsettled weather to report. but at least it's starting to look more like winter than ly c the change of pace here in the bay area. >> that's good to see, sandhya, thank you very much. >>ely. dolly gets a dose of her own medicine. what she had to say about getting her first shot of the

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you can watch all our newscasts live and on demand through the abc 7 bay area

connected tv app available for apple tv, android tv, amazon fire and roku. dolly parton got a taste of her own medicine. >> after donating a million dollars to covid research, today she got her shot. ♪ vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine ♪ ♪ i'm begging of you please don't hesitate ♪ ♪ vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine ♪ ♪ cuz once you're dead then that's a bit too late ♪ >> i love what she did with the lyrics there. she changed the lyrics to the hit song "jolene" to"jolene" too >> the research played a role in the development of the moderna vaccine. parton says she was old enough and smart enough to get her shot. she encourages her fans to do the same when it is their turn. ama, she's a national treasure. you've got to love dolly. >> absolutely 100%.

all right, "world news tonight with david muir" is next. with david muir" is next. >> for all of u yr time. covid has made clear that having health insurance is more important than ever. at covered california, every plan is comprehensive, covering everything from preventive care to mental health. and it's the only place that offers financial help for health insurance. enrollment is open due to covid-19. if you or someone you know isn't covered, now is the time to sign up. covered california. this way to health insurance. enroll now at coveredca.com.

come on the air. tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. president biden's major announcement just a short time ago. the new timeline for vaccinations for every adult here in the u.s. now two months earlier than first promised. president biden now saying enough vaccine for every adult by the end of may. the president invoking the defense production act. drugmaker merck now working with rival johnson & johnson to mass produce that one-shot vaccine. some of j&j's first shots going into arms already today. also what the president just revealed about vaccinating teachers and school workers. tonight, thousands of appointments already added in new york city alone for vaccinations. what you need to know. and with at least ten states easing restrictions and texas governor greg abbott lifting that state's mask mandate next week and opening businesses to