vaccines work on a we made usaa insurance for members like martin. an air force veteran made of doing what's right, not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right. usaa insurance is made just the way martin's family needs it with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. because doing right by our members, that's what's right. usaa. what you're made of,

we're made for. ♪ usaa ♪ group 1c is eligible for vaccinations, which in san francisco includes medium with a body mass index of 30 or higher. what this means for people who have obesity. a new covid variant has been confirmed here in california. temperatures tumbling tonight. i'll tell you how cold by morning coming up. building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. we're entering a new phase of vaccinations in california. there is one group in particular tonight confusion ab eligible depending on where you live. good evening, i'm dan ashley. thank you for joining us. san francisco is allowing people with a body mass index of 30 or higher to get a covid

vaccine, which is far less stringent than the state guidelines. so how do you know if you qualify? reporter kate larsen spoke with an expert. >> reporter: wednesday is the first day of tier 1c opening up vaccinations to people with conditions, including obesity. >> two-thirds of the u.s. population have a bmi greater than 25 and are either overweight or have obesity. >> reporter: this is the medical director of stanford's weight loss clinic, and says the state was right to move it from a bmi of 40 down to 30. >> most studies around covid focused on patients with a bmi greater than 35 or 40, and that's where they saw a marked increase in terms of hospitalizations and mortality, but there was already a difference when the bmi was greater than 30.

>> i actually qualify, by bmi is over 30. >> reporter: this bay area resident wants to encourage people with a high bmi to get vaccinated. >> i say go for it. it's nothing to be ashamed of. >> reporter: so what does a bmi of 30 or 40 look like? i went to the cdc's website and used their bmi calculator. if you're 4 feet and have a bmi of 30, it means you're 225-pounds. 6 feet with a bmi of 40 is 300-pounds. >> i think a variety of reasons people struggle with weight whether it's hormonal or bad eating or genetics. i think to open that for those people in that group, i definitely think it's really important. >> reporter: colleen says she struggled with heown weight. she takes care of her parents and just got her first dose. >> it's just great that i was able to get it today, and they have theirs, and there's just a sense of hope that hopefully soon we'll go back to normal. >> reporter: kate larsen, abc 7 news. vaccinations open today to an additional 4 million people

in california, but some are finding it hard to get the first dose. the new group includes those ages 16 to 64 with certain health conditions or disabilities, but transit worker and people in jails. despite being high risk, the kelly family can't get an appointment in the bay area. opening up the high risk phase all at once may not be the best strategy according to experts. >> we might put impediments in the way for the people at the highest risk. >> we called our doctor, and they didn't have any, stop calling us. >> the state warns a majority of appointments won't be immediately available due to supply problems. abc 7 news is monitoring the vaccine roll out in california with our vaccine tracker. find it on our home page at www.abc7news.com. oakland schools will begin reopening for some in person learning as soon as march 30th.

like other school districts, oakland will start with pre-kindergarten through second grade along with priority students. on april 19th, third through fifth graders return. teachers will return on a voluntary basis, but by april 14th, all teachers must be back on campus. classes will start in hybrid mode with two days of in person and three days of distance learning. and with covid vaccinations on the rise and positivity rates on the decline, it appears that california is moving the right direction, but tonight we have a new variant from brazil. >> it's a real thing. it's something of concern. >> reporter: ucsf's dr. george rutherford is referring to the new covid brazil variant now in california, but originally discovered in brazil.

>> it has a mutation that makes it somewhat more transmissible and less susceptible to naturally acquired immunity and vaccine acquired immunity. >> reporter: a san bernardino county man tested positive for the variant. he had not received the vaccine. >> a lot of earlier reports out of brazil indicate that this variant does transmit more easily, somewhat similar to the uk variant. >> reporter: stanford's dr. katherine blish says while it's concerning and there's a lot unknown about the variant, what is known is that masking and distancing will continue to be effective. >> when we mix too much in close settings, share air with other people, then a variant like this or the uk variant pose similar dangers in that they're more transmissible, so you're more likely to spread it in group settings. >> reporter: in brazil, covina cases are currently surging, and vaccination rates are

extremely low. the doctors echoed the importance of covid vaccines, even for variants like this one. >> the vaccine is not ineffective against it, it's just not as effective against it. >> reporter: this variant has also been confirmed in a number of other states across the country including washington, oregon, and arizona. j.r. stone, abc 7 news. after saying good bye to cowgirl creamery, san francisco's ferry building is welcoming oakland's red bay coffee. the black-owned business was featured on oprah's favorite things last year. it will offer a variety of beans and brews from around the world. the ferry building is still working to fill seven other vacancies. red bay is set to open there in april. california is suing the country's largest operator of senior living communities, that's brookdale senior

living. they're accused of falsifying information to improve their standings and illegally evicting residents. they deny that. they run assisted living centers in five bay area counties. governor newsom is taking action to combat the recall election that's likely to take place later this year. today he started a political action committee to begin raising money to defend his seat. that's the strongest acknowledgment yet that he expects to be on the ballot. the committee began running an ad today attacking the attempted recall as a quote republican power grab. a lot more to come this monday. we're looking at what we've been through during the past year to look forward into the crystal ball of our future. see some of the things that have actually changed for better in the bay area. and the bay area city going green this week to try and drum up business for st. patrick's day. i'm meteorologist sandhya

patel. bone chilling cold for parts of the bay area tonight. i'll have those temperatures coming up. bone chilling? oh no! all that ahead, but first here's a look at what's coming up on jimmy kimmel live right after abc 7. >> daylight savings stole an hour from you, and i'm here to give it out. >> i could put something out right away, like write a song and put it out. >> let's do it. let's do it right now. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

receive a chargepoint home flex charger or a $500 pulic charging credit. see your volvo retailer for details. 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.

covid-19 hit home a year ago this week when the bay area went into lockdown. the pandemic has brought about many changes in the way we live, the way drugs are made, and certainly the way scientists work. we have team coverage from abc 7 news reporters j.r. stone, kate larsen, and luz pena. >> reporter: there have been so many changes over the past year, like these things we now have to wear, but it's not all negative! there have been positive changes too. >> water and soap and wash your hands. >> reporter: that from 4-year-old alexander, the hand washing expert. so when you get home, what's the first thing you do? >> wash our hands! wash them now! >> we literally walk in the door, and he says mommy, don't forget, we have to wash our hands first. >> now i know my abcs, next

time won't you sing with me! >> reporter: well done, well done! >> for him it's almost like a play thing, and that's kind of how i presented it to him. >> reporter: 9-year-old kylin has created his own healthy habits, and doesn't hesitate to put on his mask, one that he leaves on the candles by the door. >> he doesn't like to smell his own breath in the mask, so it was a great idea. his mask smells really good. >> i grab it and sometimes i just put it on and leave it on and forget about it, like playing video games. >> reporter: but it's not just our personal habits change, kate, the whole health care system is changing. >> reporter: absolutely, j. r. historically world wars and global crises have been a catalyst for major scientific advancement, and the pandemic

is no different. i spoke to a doctor on the fda vaccine advisory committee, and back in 1980, he started 190 working on the the rodavirus vaccine that's now recommended in all infants. >> that's 26 years from when we first started to when there's a vaccine, and that's not atypical. that's about right. this was basically a one year effort for the coronavirus vaccine. in january 2020, i don't think you would have found a scientist on the planet that said that could happen. >> reporter: so what's next? >> we've entered a genetic era of vaccines, and i think there's been a lot of activation energy now that will i think launch us into other vaccines that are similar whether it's an aids vaccine or flu vaccine or better malaria or tuberculosis vaccine. >> reporter: what do you see

of anything as a positive piece to come out of this pandemic? >> i like to think this will engender an international level of collaboration. now more than ever we have to see ourselves as part of a whole because if we don't, we'll suffer. >> reporter: and that collaboration is happening now. ucsf scientists partnered with hundreds of people in many countries. i got to listen in on one of the meetings. >> i'm just going to say it founds familiar, doesn't it? >> reporter: it almosfeels like we're eaves dropping, but don't worry, we're not. these are doctors from paris to new york to west africa. dr. grogan is leading the effort at ucsf. >> the hope is that years from now we look back and have

treatments treatments for other diseases because we learned to work together. >> reporter: he said covid unified doctors and scientists and created a framework to better treat viruses. what's the plan to move forward to target other diseases? >> the goal is putting pressure on funding agencies like nih. if we approached other diseases with the same sense of urgency that we have attacked covid-19, absolutely we would be coming to treatments so much more quickly. >> reporter: and that gives me hope. >> reporter: from new healthy habits. >> reporter: to an era of unparalleled medical innovation. >> reporter: to world wide collaborations that will make a difference, in san francisco, i'm luz pena. >> reporter: i'm kate larsen. >> reporter: and i'm j.r. stone for abc 7 news.

>> thanks to j. r., kate, and luz for that. and a doctor shared with us her reflections on how the health sector has changed and the changes she predicts will stick. >> this whole experience has been traumatic for children, for parents, for all of us. we've all experienced collective trauma in terms of mental health issues and ability to provide mental health help. it's really, really important. i don't think we have enough resources to provide for everybody who needs it, but i think it's one of the greatest challenges, to be able to serve the population that has been so traumatized both physically in terms of health directly, but in terms of mental health also. >> all week long we're looking the lessons learned and the path forward to a better bay area. tomorrow the impact on the economy and the shift to stay afloat. in the south bay, san jose

has come up with a new bay to celebrate st. patrick's day. take a look at this. several downtown businesses are lit up in green. there's a st. patrick's day arch at saint pedro's square. you'll also see leprechaun dolls in store windows. they'll also give out st. patrick's day masks. all ways to celebrate the luck of irish and celebrate st. patrick's day. but will the weather cooperate? sandhya patel has the forecast for us. >> yes, it will be definitely nice for st. patrick's day if you want to do any of the outdoor activities. i do want to show you tonight, you'll feel the chill if you're not already. freezing inland. areas of frost by morning. you'll want to protect any frost sensitive plants and bring the pets inside. temperatures right now in the 30s and 40s for most of

you. as you check out lake and mendecino counties, that's where the hard freeze warning and freeze warning are in effect. 12:00 to 9:00 a.m. it's definitely cold enough to damage some sensitive vegetation and plants. it's a frost advisory for solano county and the north bay valleys. solano county is 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. frost is expected to form, and that means you definitely want to take precautions. here's a live look. it's clear from our san jose camera. that's part of the season why as you look at live doppler 7 we're concerned about it being so cold. we had showers in last 24 hours. tomorrow morning, you're looking at upper 20s around lake and mendecino counties to around the low 30s in napa, santa rosa, down to 31 in livermore, 33 in fairfield. those will be the coldest spots under clear skies. tomorrow afternoon, you'll

notice it's breezy along the coast, but nowhere near the winds we saw today. today wind gusts were close to 50 miles per hour. 56 in san francisco, 59 in oakland. temperatures 5 to 10 degrees below average today. they bounce back closer to average tomorrow, but still on the cool side. 61 in san jose, so keep the jackets handy. and don't forget the umbrellas thursday and friday. we have a level 1 system coming in. rain moderate at times. a quarter to three quarters of an inch. and the wind gusts over the hills 30 to 40 miles per hour. hour by hour, the rain starts early thursday morning and continues thursday afternoon. it's going to bring some more snow to the sierra and as you'll notice, showers continue on friday before this system winds down. the biggest difference with the system is it brings us more rain, and the snow levels not quite as low, so they'll be falling, but not as low as what we experienced today. we had snow over mount hamilton, mount dialbo had a mix of rain and snow.

here's the seven-day forecast, frosty cold morning ahead. st. patrick's day clouding up, but it is going to be dry for outdoor activities. a level 1 system, wet and gusty, thursday, lingering showers friday, and spring begins on saturday. it will be dry for the first weekend of spring, and then we bring in much needed chances of showers on monday. but that's not until monday. so until even, dan, i think you'll have to hold off on the, what was it, kite surfing or something? >> from earlier, we had a report out on that. >> thank you very much! guess who was back on the uc berkeley campus? bear territory is bird territory again. what happened overnight with a pair of falcons. can and tomorrow on good americaning america, the band americaning america, the band pretty it's back, guys! check it out! what up, people?

jack! what are you doing in my car? oh, just sharing my triple bonus jack combo... triple meat and cheese, secret sauce... go ahead, tell them how much it is... it's just $5.99! only at jack in the box. sorry, what were you going to say?

good news friends, my triple bonus jack combo is back. the triple meat and cheese you need... the secret sauce you love... plus curly fries and a drink. it's...a pretty legit combo. and it's just $5.99. only at jack in the box. uc berkeley's resident falcon now has three eggs in the nest. annie laid her last one just before midnight last night. she and her mate have been seen taking turns incubating the eggs on the university's falcon cam. this is the falcon pair's fifth breeding season on the

campus. so far they have raised ten chicks. so we watch once again the agai amazing process. stay with us, larry is here with sports. >> steph versus lebron is must see tv. the warriors beat the ja

yeah, i mean the thing is, people like geico because it's just easy. bundling for example. you've got car insurance here. and home insurance here. why not... schuuuuzp.. put them together. save even more. some things are just better together, aren't they? like tea and crumpets. but you wouldn't bundle just anything. like, say... a porcupine in a balloon factory. no. that'd be a mess. i mean for starters, porcupines are famously no good in a team setting. geico. save even more when bundle home and car insurance.

ah, the first apartment. geico. minimum decor. maximum entertainment. they've got a flex 4k streaming box included with their internet. and with disney plus on the way, they'll get the best of the best. where'd you guys get this couch? found it on the street. oh... with xfinity flex, your entertainment starts at free. get started with xfinity internet for $19.99 a month for 12 months and get a flex 4k streaming box included for free. click, call, or visit a store today.

sports is sponsored by your loyal toyota dealers. after their best win of the season yesterday against the jazz, the warriors had to deal with lebron and the lakers. that's a rough back to back. all star teammates james and k currwithhe fwi his come on, it's not that easy!

later curry with the three from straight away, and watch him hold the pose. 27 points for steph. he just needed more help. lakers starting to take control in the second quarter. lebron taking flight. remember, this is 18 year in the league for him. final seconds, first half, wiggins deep three at the buzzer, but dubs down 15 at the break, and wiggins invisible most of the warrior history, curry passed the franchise record in assists tonight. lebron 22 points, 10 boards, 11 assists, triple double, the lakers cruise. sharks visiting the golden knights. these teams don't like each other. 1-0 knights in the second. and then dubnik the chest save

and the beauty. stone, 2-0 vegas. sharks cut it in half. myer, extra effort to push that puck in. 2-1 now. sharks late power play one last chance as time expires, but kane didn't get much on that. 2-1 vegas the final. nfl free agency started today. big money thrown around all over the place. the 49ers will sign edge rusher sampson who spent four years with the rams. best ability is availability, he didn't miss a game for four years. richard sherman is pected tothea varette is staying.healthy,he'se and the raider defense needs all kinds of help. the raiders will be his fourth team in three seasons after the jags, vikings, and ravens. and the ncaa women's basketball tournament bracket

came out today. stanford a one seed in the alamo region. they open against

abc 7 has launched new streaming apps, so wherever you can, you can ge newscasts, breaking news, weather, and more. just search abc 7 bay area and download it for free. all right, that's our report. for all of us here, we appreciate your time.

i'm dan ashley. right now on jimmy kimmel, >> dicky: from hollywood, it's "jimmy kimmel live"! tonight, gwen stefani, and dr. sanjay gupta, and now, jimmy kimmel! >> jimmy: hi, how you doing? i'm jimmy. thanks for watching. i'm the host of the show. welcome to our after the -- after the final rose is dead and starting to smell spectacular. we'll get into that "bachelor" mess later, but first, what a morning. we had rain and daylight saving time. i'm lucky to be alive. my kids -- did your son benji slep late today? >> guillermo: yes. >> jimmy: my kids slept like they had three too many margaritas last night. we had to drag them out of bed. the thing about daylight saving is it's terrible. even w