we are 2 days away from millions of californians becoming eligible for a covid- 19 vaccine. our providers ready, or is there a supply crisis? what we have just learned.'s dragon waterpark turns into a vaccine site. the people, as contra costa county stands alone. the potential game changer as they say anyone can sign up. the new normal for students in oakland. cousin the return to class today, but the routine is nothing like it used to be. %-ú a theater owner prepares for life after the pandemic. why he says his age and experiences prepared him for the worst. this is abc7 news

.>> thank you for joining us. we just learned marin county is expanding the vaccination eligibility list, but it is cautious about whether people will actually be able to get the shot. >> on thursday anyone 50 and older can get vaccinated. on april 15 it expands to those 16 and older. they are worried about supply, and hopes to get everyone a shot before june. contra costa county announced today they will begin vaccinated everyone 16 and up. coming as a new vaccination site opened at a theme park in concord. leslie is there live. how is it going out there? >> reporter: changing so rapidly here in contra costa county when it comes to vaccine eligibility. last week they opened it up to 50 and up. today to officially open the door for any adult over age 16 to get a vaccine. this was day one of a brand-new

mass vaccination site. >> a popular east bay waterpark has been transformed into a mass vaccination site capable of vaccinating 15,000 people a week when fully operational. contra costa county currently has a staggering 20,000 shot slots available. lots of openings after receiving 30,000 extra doses last week from both state and federal sources. >> because we have untold appointment slots we want to get shots in arms as quick as possible. we do not want these variants to out run us. the county is making it available now for those 16 and over. basically no restrictions to get vaccinated. >> there will still be priority given to older age groups and second ptosis. contra costa county has already vaccinated

up with at least one dose. 25% of adults in the county are fully vaccinated. now officials expect a big surge. >> when you sign up on the county website you should hear back within a couple of days about an appointment opportunity. you cannot sign up through the states site yet. the faster you sign up the faster you will get an appointment. someone who is 16 who signs up today likely get an appointment faster than someone who is 16 the signs up next week. >> we have the doses. we want to simplify this for our community. we want people to know if you are 16 and over we want you to go to cc health.org. we want you to sign up. >> reporter: they want you to sign a preferably online. register with the county. there is also a phone number.

do not use the state mitral website. you have to register with tent contra costa county. think of it as getting in line . when you register you have to wait until you get to schedule your vaccine, and come in and actually have it happen. california announced they will expand the vaccine eligibility to those 50 and older by thursday. >> california is home to over 13 million people 50 and older. according to the state over 2 million have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the vaccine. that leaves over 11 million people waiting for thursday. >> we are two days away from

the expansion. is the state ready? >> in a way it feels like we are trying to get concert tickets. that is my other concern. when people start to go online on april 1 how long will they be waiting? >> at 48 hours millions will rush to schedule an appointment online. >> there probably won't be enough supply for the potential demand. >> we contacted several healthcare providers to find out what their plan is >> the first provider to get back to us said our ability to actually schedule appointments for patients remains dependent on supply. the keyword is supply. kaiser permanente had a similar response saying we expanded our capacity to deliver more vaccine doses on our own facilities as well as in multiple mass vaccination hubs. all we need are more vaccine doses. the lack of transparency is also impacting counties at the local level. >> we typically get about

10,000 doses from the state each week. we have about 30,000 residents or just between age 50 and 64 >> warren county is ready with the logistics, but there is a common theme here. not enough supply for thursday. we contacted the state. after several hours we finally heard back. they said the state is waiting on more vaccine from the federal government. this week they got 2.1 million doses. when they get a dose for you they said they will notify you your california is projected to receive 2.5 million doses per week by the first week of april. than 3 million by the second week of april. their plan is to vaccinate everyone in waves. the sound of the alarm about a fourth possible wave of covert cases. this infectious disease expert downplayed that threat

>> we are doing a pretty good job of rolling out our vaccines at 42% of those in san francisco getting one dose. second, we are peeling off restrictions, but peeling them off slowly. third, we have a final solution. vaccines are not like one more tool in the toolbox giving someone a mask or having them stay away from each other. this is the solution. >> on our afternoon program, and says she agrees with the cdc director that people must remain vigilant, but she expects cases to start dropping as more people get vaccinated. graduation is around the corner. releasing new guidelines for in person ceremonies just in time for the class of 2021. some of the rules include contactless options for students receiving awards and diplomas. at least two hours must pass between multiple ceremonies to help prevent mixing across

attendees at. social distancing measures like six feet between students seated or standing in line to walk across the stage. as well as rule against handshaking, hugging, and caps throwing as well. it will be hard to resist the caps throwing, but they will try. they will have a gradual process starting with the youngest of the kids here. it was certainly an emotional day for a lot of people >> finally here, but more so emotional for the parents. the young kids i saw were really happy to spend this time with their teachers and classmates. i will always remember what one teacher said today. she said covid-19 took something from us that we are getting back today, and that is little people and their smiles.

>> this kindergartner was not even intimidated by all of the microphones in front of him. >> i am happy. >> the school requires all parents show a daily health check of each student. in his case his mother made sure to remind him of what is required of him once inside >> he knows he has to wear his mask. stay six feet apart. no touching other kids. >> all students will continue to do online learning in the morning from home. after 12:00 those who decide to return will be busy doing in person learning. >> we will focus on individual community projects. keeping them motivated and excited about being in person. >> she was happy to finally get out of the house. not all teachers were back today. some decided to wait until the mandatory april 19 start date

when schools will reopen for kids through fifth grade. the superintendent acknowledged their hard work. balancing 2 styles of learning. >> just people doing it for the love of their students and trying to have these opportunities while also teaching virtually. >> in what was perhaps the most unusual year for many because of covid stephen and his mom showed us that there is some normalcy finally returning to our lives. >> such a brave kid. middle and high schoolers will remain in distance learning for the rest of this academic year. then there is default. i spoke to the school district today. they are pretty confident if all goes well they believe oakland schools will be fully open in august. fingers crossed. in the newsroom, lyanne melendez, abc7 news .

another bay area county is headed in the right direction when it comes to reopening. alameda county move from the red into the orange tier, as did santa cruz county. napa county failed to move into the orange due to a rise in cases last week. the orange tier means indoor gym capacity can go from 10-25 percent. restaurants, movie theaters, and churches can increase to 50%. bars can be open to outdoors without meal service. a story of patience and perseverance all framed within the context of the county moving from the purple to the red tear. movie theaters are opening in sonoma county. it has been a long road getting there. especially for one theater owner. >> lloyd thompson, peering into

the roxy theater. the box office is still closed. the marquee is filled with promise, however. >> being able to sit in front of the favorite is one of the best things you could do. >> they open tomorrow morning at 25% capacity. >> we have had 100 for transactions in the last week. here is another one. >> is that a lot? >> it is the busiest we have been all year >> except for today maybe, as they work out protocols. ranging from sanitizing each seed after every show to putting in social distance mapping to cleaning, and restocking the concession areas. when they return after so long it felt like entering a pre- covid time capsule. the pandemic has been especially stressful for the owner. forcing him

100 schemes in nine locations. >> one time we were told we could open. by the time we got ready to open they shut us down again. >> if you add it up it has been 54 weeks since people filled the seats of this theater. 54 weeks of worry for their 87- year-old owner. >> the fire came from the other side. >> when covid hit he was dealing with the aftermath of the fire. flames did major damage to this home that he and his wife purchased. as a replacement for the of their home in fountain grove that burned down three years earlier. talk about triple whammy. >> i think at this age it easier than it would have been if i was younger. >> 2 fires, one pandemic, and a closed business. how would you react to all of that? >> i hope three is not a charm. >> in sonoma county, wayne freedman, abc7 news .

>> what a remarkable man. using technology to change someone's dna. local researchers get the okay to use an

a treatment about to be tested holds the promise of possibly curing sickle-cell disease. researchers are teaming up to learn if they can defeat the disease by changing the patient's genetics they are successful it could hold a promise of a new wave of treatments for other diseases too. >> for decades, one of the best hopes were children or adults suffering from sickle-cell anemia has been a bone marrow

transplant. sometimes turning into a life or death struggle to find a match. soon there could be a revolutionary alternative. >> that is challenging because you have to find a compatible donor. in this case we are using the patient as their own donor. >> this doctor is leading a groundbreaking clinical trial. helping to understand that sickle-cell is a genetic condition that turns the patient's red blood cells into a hardened sickle shape which can be the blood unable to carry normal oxygen to the body. >> it is caused by this one change in their gino. by correcting that mistake we then cure the disease >> to do that they have turned to a nobel prize-winning gene editing technology developed by this researcher and colleagues at uc berkeley. known as crisper. 11 doctors to identify genes that cause a disease

replace them with a new dna. a process known as gene editing. in this case the plant extracts blood producing stem cells from patients, modify the genes, and place them back in their system to produce healthy red blood cells. >> over time they will take over all of the blood capacity in the circulation. >> potentially curing the condition in a single treatment . if they are successful researchers believe the strategy could eventually be used to treat a wide variety of genetic diseases from her conditions on. >> we are entering an age where we can seriously talk about the standard of medical care. >> the trial will launch this summer and check six adults and three adolescents with severe sickle-cell disease for over four years. all in the hopes of rewriting the script sometimes deadly disease. >> really exciting prospect here. the project received nearly $7 million in funding from the voter created california institute of regenerative medicine. feeling like spring. may be a little like summer.

we will have the forecast

take a look at this. a scenic spot on mars. the selfie is a composite of dozens of images, but you cannot beat the final effect. that is spectacular. monterey bay aquarium announced today they are reopening. it has been closed for more than a year because of the pandemic. this is video from the aquarium's camera penguin exhibit. the visitors can also see jellyfish, sea otters, and sharks. members can visit starting may 1. the public on may 15. everyone does have to make a

reservation in advance on the aquarium's website, but that is very exciting. who is up for a trip? nice weather for it. >> and then maybe mars at some point. >> perfect >> going right into summer tomorrow. we are likely going to see record warmth across the entire region. get ready for a. lasting a couple of days. outside this evening, a beautiful picture. a live look here. i love this shot. son on the bay waters. the golden gate bridge in the background. 67 curly in san francisco. earlier today we were in the 70s. 71 in oakland. 78 in mountain view. 77 in san jose. as we take a look at the rooftop camera and san francisco you can see folks out and about enjoying the sunshine. the warmer weather and light breeze within the flags flying a little bit. warm away from the coast. upper 70s and low 80s.

the windy feel is dragging in the warmer temperatures. that will continue overnight tonight. gusting anywhere from 10 to 25 miles per hour. the winds will back off tomorrow, as the warmer weather sets up shop across the entire region. tonight it will be a mild night. settling on either side of about 50 degrees. this sets the stage for a pretty quick warm-up tomorrow morning. high pressure is in control. the live doppler will act like a heat pump ear the next couple of days. bringing in the warmer temperatures. at least through thursday. the future track are temperatures by 9:00 tomorrow morning. already approaching 60 degrees. and lots of the cities profess for the clock by 11:00 a.m. already approaching 70 degrees. tomorrow it is going to be warm no matter what. even along the coast we are all going into the 80s. this is some 15 to 20 degrees

above average for this time of the year. a lot of sunshine pig 83 in the city tomorrow. that will be a warm day in san francisco. 85 in oakland. 87 in san jose. 84 in santa rosa. 85 in concord. i will bump up the temperatures a couple of degrees more. really hard to ask for better weather for the 80s home opener. first pitch temperature of 73 degrees. here is the seven-day forecast. records likely tomorrow. even warmer on thursday. approaching 90 in our hottest spots. the warmth will begin to ease. it looks like as we approach easter the trend is to dry out. tracking a slight chance of a shower early monday, but right now the warm weather is the big meal maker for the next couple of days, guys. >> still nice to get a little bit more rain before we dry out . >> thank you. the legacy of one man's

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we love our new home. there's so much space. we have a guestroom now. but we have aunts. you're slouching again, ted. expired. expired. expired. thanks, aunt bonnie. it's a lot of house. i hope you can keep it clean. at least geico makes bundling our home and car insurance easy. which helps us save a lot of money. oh, teddy. did you get my friend request? oh. i'll have to check. aunt joni's here! for bundling made easy, go to geico.com hello?! a remindera remindera remind our live newscast, breaking news, weather, and more with our new abc7 bay area app on apple tv, fire tv, and roku.

a salute to cesar chavez. >> of the board of supervisors held a celebration virtue will be to recognize his commitment to social justice. the tribune included video messages from county leaders. jane garcia says she was reminded of the lessons during the past years challenges. >> he taught us that obstacles can be overcome as long as we are willing to make hard decisions and commit to what is necessary to fight for what is right. >> performances by a mariachi band. they also headed out their youth hall of fame awards to six local teenagers, so congratulations to them. >> indeed. the legacy lives on. world news is often asked. we appreciate your time.

>> thank you for inviting us into your homes tonight. our next newscast is

tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. dramatic testimony in the derek chauvin trial. and the major new concern over the coronavirus here in the u.s. the chilling testimony in the murder trial of former police officer derek chauvin, charged with killing george floyd. darnella frazier, just 17 when she shot that video of floyd's death, telling jurors she stays up at night, apologizing to george floyd for not doing more. the 9-year-old who witnessed it all and the moment derek chauvin took off his mask in court today so she could identify him. and late today, the woman firefighter who told jurors she begged officers to take george floyd's pulse. cross examined by the defense just before we came on the air tonight. the alarming surge in covid cases in more than half the country tonight, sparking real fears of a potential fourth wave