building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc7 news. >> hi, this is kristen sze welcome to our daily program, getting answers. we asked experts your questions every day at 3:00 to get answers for you in real time. today, we will talk with tyler gordon. remember him? he is a young bay area artist who went viral for his portrait of vice president kamala harris. he joins us now or he will be joining us with an update on what he is up to, big things. but first, with a whole lot of covid-19 headlines, we begin with infectious disease specialist dr. monica gandhi. dr. gandhi, always good to see you. the fda, the fda approved

pfizer for 12 to 15-year-old yesterday. and tomorrow and advisory committee is expected to issue its recommendations for use. so that is the final step, right? >> yeah, i mean, you know, there is some concern that this was a study that was done in relatively few numbers in children, 12 to 15. only 1130 children got the vaccine. on the other hand, there is been a lot of data in the real world for 16 to 17-year-olds. so the eua went through, and that would mean once the cdc director signed off on it, that they can actually go ahead and give this vaccine, 30 micrograms to younger children. >> okay so one could 12 to 15- year-olds actually get their shots here in california? >> they could get them as soon as thursday. the cdc director said she was going to sign off of tomorrow. because it's the same dose, that we use for adults, there is no special dosing you have to go and get from somewhere else. >> okay, look, for adults, i know this because i got my

vaccine, you have to show an id, right? but what do you do for kids? they don't have ids, i also wonder if there's additional paperwork like parental consent, at sign-up or at the vaccination site? >> yes, because this is an emergency youth authorization, and because there is still concern it wasn't studied in as many children as usually they would do in adults, a parent will have to can sign a consent, just like if your mother, you had to sign a consent to get your vaccine, because anything under an emergency youth authorization as opposed to approval, you kind of a little stack of paperwork that you have to sign. that is what eua means, as opposed to being approved. >> okay. here, i want to pull in some viewer questions. one mom, beth, that i would never let my kids get this vaccine, it's been experimental from the beginning. there's also this 11-year-old girl who kind of went viral on social feeding she doesn't want to be a lab rat is what she said. what do you say to beth, that mom, and also the girl, the 11-

year-old? >> so, i do agree, i do understand the comment that it was not cited or studied in as many children as usually these larger phase 3 trials are studied in adults. phase 3 trial for over 16 with pfizer was 42,000 peoppeop 40,000. this was only 2260. on the other hand, we passed our 1 billion dose mark of vaccines given out worldwide. it's kind of of of of of of of this got unremarked upon, the world health organization says, we have given out 1 billion doses of vaccine worldwide. about 270 million doses in this country. we have not seen safety signals beyond what we saw in the clinical trials, meaning, fever and sometimes we actually have the site, but we haven't seen any signals, even in the 16 and 17-year-olds that got it. so it does make me feel really assured about about about about

their safety. >> okay, real quickly, one more thing about kids, a lot of parents are asking, what do they need to do in terms of spacing out other vaccinations? should they hurry up and get other shots done, and wait for, you know, then they can get the covid vaccine? >> you know, we say don't get the covid vaccine around other vaccines, because we don't actually really know, if you recall, in office for a pediatrician, you can get five vaccine that once sometimes. so this is a theoretical possibility the vaccine can react with each other. so i would go ahead and get other vaccines now, and then get the covid-19 vaccine later, just kind of separate. >> do you know, he mentioned thursday we can possibly get the shots here for kids, is it different from state to state? are there some states, we understand, they're waiting for cdc review and endorsement? does that mean the kids in those states will have to wait? >> there are some states that are miming, waiting for the cdc endorsement, which is going to happen really soon she said, they said by tomorrow, is every state will have to to to

just because the fda signed off on it, i guess there is a cdc director endorsement. so every state will have to wait until at least thursday. but, i think that there will be, what the questions are raising that you are watching is, it's a fair point that there are some pediatricians that are saying, i want to wait for more safety data in kids, and i don't know what each of the states are going to do. i think here, we are going to likely go ahead and give it and then again, watch safety really carefully, knowing that safety has not been a problem in older kids that are 16 to 17. >> okay, i want to move to boosters, because the cdc is saying the u.s. is planning boosters, just in case both moderna and pfizer ceos have said we will likely need boosters within a year. now you are kind of going against the grain and have said, stop talking about

boosters. we won't need them. can you explain that? >> i really do want people to stop talking about boosters. first, i don't think companies are going to make money out of boosters should be the ones messaging this, but then i don't think scientists should either, because i think if you just look at it really, really, i know it sounds like it's not that simple, but it's actually that simple. there's kind of two arms to the immune system, there is antibodies and t cells. t cells are the main arm in the immune system to fight virus. even if we look at b sells alone, turned out memory b cells are produced by the vaccines. there was a study that they actually biopsied of people and found that they had memory b sells forming up to the vaccines. memory b sells last and produced antibodies if they are exposed to the virus again. 90 years later, there was a study from before 1918 who would have influenza 1918, they had memory b sells 90 years later, and they got a strong neutralizing response to expose their blood again. memory b sells and also importantly, memory letter t

cells, which we know are produced in the vaccines, and by natural infection. they last a long time.long time. so i really don't think we are going to need these boosters, and i'm worried that again, we don't want pharmaceutical companies to make money to message that and then we take on that messaging. you just have to look at the data as cleanly as immunologists and scientists.ans >> is the fact that you think we will need boosters affect what you think the biden administration should do right now, with regard to the vaccines we do have and with regard to what's happening in india and the dire need there? >> yes, i really think you've asked me that question, because if you think about what the biden administration currently has available, in terms of surplus, even if we take care of all the 12 to 15-year-olds, looks like we have a surplus of 70 million, right now, of vaccines. then with all that we have from us to buy and have bought, looks like 300 million in this summer. this kind of excess vaccine which we don't need for the american people, giving it to india and other countries

now would make a profound difference. people in india are about 11% first dose vaccinated, they are going to try to get vaccinated, there is not enough vaccine supply. 1.4 billion people living there. terrible, terrible humanitarian crisis in india. so i'm very much hoping that the admission reasonable consider donating those vaccines to india and other countries. we have an open letter this to the administration from ucsf doctors. beyond that, if we think about boosters and pfizer is busy talking about boosters, as they have actually wrote, they slow down the capacity, of making global vaccines, because they are concentrating on boosters. they said two days ago, then yesterday, they put out an announcement they don't think they need boosters for the b.1.1.7 or b1351 two variance. so that can waste our time not making vaccines for the >> okay, the 1.61 7.2, you are talking about the dominant

strain in india right now that is running spreading >> that's a great question. mrna vaccines haven't been studied against, like pfizer hasn't studied against the b1617. but the two vaccines that are locally in india have been studied against more transmissible variance in india called the e1617. it looks like they work. there is one called kovacs, which is a local indian expect they work against the b1617, so does what is called astrazeneca. the current vaccine they have in india work. there's no reason to think that pfizer wouldn't work. that is why we are anxious to get mrna vaccines donated to india. >> dr. monica gandhi, don't go away. we have a lot more to talk about wi

>> all right, coming back, thanks. all right, we are back with ucsf infectious disease specialist, dr. monica ga over on facebook live, we were answering your questions. i want to go back to the strain of moving so thickly in india right now. devastating the country is 1.6.7.2, that is just one. you expect many more variance to come out of india, because the virus is so bad >> so it's true that the most productive factor of variance or mutations occurring is increased transmissibility with this virus. it doesn't actually mutate that fast if you keep pieces low, but if cases are going hi, that's where it can be taken. you are absolutely right, that it depends. all of us getting the epidemic under control in india is good for all of us, worldwide, which is why we are linked together

to the coronavirus. we need to work with us all to be safe. >> given that there are many many, do you think one could breakthrough, that is, in terms of making vaccine not work? i know you've been generally very confident about the vaccines we do have, but could there be a breakthrough? >> it's possible i will say one thing about letter t-cell immunity, there was a paper that showed us that t sells warm against 87 different little pieces of the spike protein. so you'd have to, in mutation, it has 13 mutations across the spike protein. so there's still 75 that work. so, you would have to have a very mutated virus to breakthrough our immune system, at least with t-cell immunity. and usually viruses can't mutate that much, with a fitness cost. >> okay, the other thing i really want to explore, you kind of taken issue with the cdc, saying outdoor transmission risk is lower than

10%, why is that problematic? >> that study was done here at ucsf, the senior author is dr. is on a. she did a journal of infectious disease review unaware she did not say the list of outdoor transmission was 10%. she actually reviewed the studies that had been done to date, and there's been more that show the risk of outdoor transmission or even lower. and didn't say it was 10%, the new york times actually ended up writing an article this morning saying, no it's not 10%, cdc misunderstood that. she actually wrote the cdc today to clarify, and tweeted as well that their article did not say 10%. the risk is much lower. much lower than 10%, in terms of outdoor transmission. >> like what? >> they are showing it is 1 in 7000, meaning this wuhan, china, study from september of 2020 in the lancet showed out of 7324 infections with careful contact tracing, about 1 in 7000

is linked to outdoor, versus inside. outdoor is much more safe, which is consistent with some of the messaging around how the virus breads. enough so that is the case, do you think there is no need for kids in outdoor summer camps to wear masks this summer? >> no, i do not think there is any need for kids to where masks in outdoor summer camp this summer. and i think with the clarification of the new york times and she is providing to the cdc, i think it will change your guidance. >> what about adult gathering outdoors who have been fully vaccinated, no mask, julie fine? >> no mask, julie fine. >> okay, i want to ask you from other questions, situations and give me quick answers. would you dine at a restaurant indoors? this is assuming fully vaccinated. many health experts still won't. >> i am fully vaccinatedfully vd have dined in an indoor restaurant many times since, because i'm too busy to cook. but yeah, i feel very, very

comfortable with the incredible effectiveness of these vaccines, and i really want to stress that to the american public, because, when we look at the clinical trial data, that is from december of 2020. we have really great real-world effect from the state on these vaccine study after study. including how rare richter infections are. these vaccines really work. >> oh, so, for fully vaccinated, would you go to a cycling class indoors? a workout class? >> yes, but if i were unvaccinated, i would not go to that class. i would wait until i was vaccinated. >> what about having an indoor gathering of 50 people, all vaccinated? >> yes, perfectly fine, you are all vaccinated, you are all protected. >> what about some people, few, not vaccinated? >> i also think that is perfectly fine. i think the cdc is likely to updated guidance that vaccines block transmission. that's a really important thing to remember. the cdc just had a friday study from a nursing home outbreak that they described that he

bought nascent medic infection because they were swapping noses of nursing home residents after vaccination, and there was zero transmissions linked to people having cases in the nursing home. there's multiple other studies that show this, they block transmission vaccines. i would be worried about those couple of unvaccinated people. >> what about vacationing to another state, flying there? i've heard of some very reasonable people who say, no, even if you are fully vaccinated, you should still not travel right now, and if you do, you are contributed to the possible spread of this, what do you say to that? back i think it's hard for us to get out of the old 2020 and back into where we are when we are vaccinated. when we are vaccinated, you are extremely safe for traveling. you should keep your mouth on, that is absolutely airline guidance and should be. but with the ventilation on airplanes, and the fact that these vaccines are so effective, you should be comfortable with travel. i think sometimes it's hard for us to incorporate, given the

fear of covid-19, what it feels like, and what these vaccines are. it's hard to bring herself into it. >> it took us over a year to develop these habits and it's hard to break. >> that's what's going on. >> t has a question, i think it's an regards to vaccines versus someone with a lower immune system. she says, especially the vaccine affected those who have low immune systems, will it affect their health after getting vaccinated? >> likely not. i know what she's asking, i think what she's asking is about if you have a vigorous immune response the vaccine, could it harm your condition or could it make an autoimmune condition for example, worse? there is a very vigorous immune response, that is a fair point to make. it can lead to side effects that are abnormalities in women, there have been things linked to that immune response. but it should not, because it short-lived when you get that

burst of immunity, and those t cells and those b cells form and go into your memory, it should not hurt your autoimmune condition or anything trying to come back with him you know the presence. >> here's another question, whether you think ceiling fans should be turned on in a gym, if we don't know that everyone in there is vaccinated, although everyone is masks. >> ventilation is emerging to be one of the most important strategies to mitigate covid-19 transmission. it has to do with this aerosol droplet story that emerged on friday from the cdc. but yes, ventilated spaces, it is very hard to get covid. so i would not suggest a ceiling fan, but open the window because you want outdoor air coming in for anyone who is unvaccinated. >> i will end with daniel's comment, dr. monica gandhi rocks, love her. erika says, i love it when dr. gandhi is on.

a lot of love, and a lot of appreciation. thank you so much for your time today. >> thank you. thank you so much, thanks. >> take care. coming up

welcome back. we first met tyler gordon after his video and i will a member this? painting vice president kamala harris with the golden gate bridge as the backdrop. and since then, his artistic career has just skyrocketed. he has countless new paintings and now a new book that you can preorder, right thereright therr portraits of power, by tyler gordon from san jose joining us right now., tyler. >> hello. >> so great to see you. just our viewers know, as we check here, we will run some of the other time lapses you have done. good afternoon. congratulations on the book. >> thank you very much. >> all right, tell us, when did you first realize you have this

talent? i know in the book you share a lot of what got you started, but when did you like this was the thing for you? >> at school stand when i started painting, i was 10 years old, and my school the school s.t.e.m. fair sort of. and for some reason, i wanted to paint my not vice, but my my principal. so, the principal asked my mom and she said no, because she paints too. so that night, i had this weird dream that god told me i could paint. so, i ran into my mom's room entry clock in the morning and told her about my dream. after she told me to go back to bed. because it was three in the

morning. the next night at 5:00 in the morning, i had the exact same dream except this time, god told me, if i did not use my talent, he was going to take it away. so it 5:00 in the morning, i ran to her room crying and when it turned to 6:00 in the morning, she gave me one of her smaller canvases and my first painting took me exactly 17 minutes and my very first portrait came out.came out.came. >> it was just amazing. i know after that, you continued to do many, many more. lots of celebrities, sports stars. and political figures. and really, it's even more amazing when you look at the context of what you had overcome. i know when you were little, you were born deaf, and you had an emergency experimental surgery and you gained some of the hearing but today, you still stutter as a result of that. i know nothing has been able to stop you, which is fantastic. i got ask you come after vice president kamala harris called you and shared what you did,

you did president biden as well, did things take off from there? like what else have you been doing since? >> yes, ever since i got a new clothing line coming out. >> what? >> as well aswell aswell aswells >> that's amazing, with your paintings on them, right? >> yes. >> since you are there and i can see you got some of your art behind you, are you in a spot where you can kind of show us some of your recent work? >> yes. >> i know some of the is featured in the book, but just go ahead and talk to each person's that's a self- portrait, right? >> this is a self-portrait. then if you look up, that is, i painted this two or three ago. for dmx, after his passing. >> wow, yeah.

who is that? yeah. >> this i painted for my mom. she wanted it. >> wow, that is jujuju oh, do you have more, do you have more to show us? >> yes, one more of chadwick boseman. >> oh. chadwick boseman. that is, you captured his majesty and his spirit. these are all incredible. so your new book, you feature a lot of these as well as the stories of what inspired you to paint these folks? >> yes, i did. i do. >> all right, people can preorder them, right, right now, the book. it's available everywhere. certainly on your own website as well. the tyler gordon.com. just one last question, who would you love to paint and

meet that you haven't already done? >> so, i would love to paint my mom, but someone that i would love to meet is >> all right, the request is out there. former president obama, if you are watching this after my car accident, i wondered what my case was worth. so i called the barnes firm. when that car hit my motorcycle, insurance wasn't fair. so i called the barnes firm. it was the best call i could've made. atat t bararnefirmrm, our r inry a attneysys wk hahard i could've made. atat t bararnefirmrm, to get you the best result possible. call us now and find out what your case could be worth. you u mit bebe sprisised

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congratulations. we are so proud of you, keep going, keeping your awesome self. >> thank you. welcome back. thank you so much for joining us on this interactive show, getting answers. today, we talked with infectious disease specialist dr. monica gandhi. we really focused on the fda approval of the pfizer vaccine for 12 to 15-year-olds. we talked about the variance and vaccine effectiveness.

she really really really really tonight, the new fallout. the long lines for gas, some gas stations running out, after that massive cyber attack. the russian-based cyber attack shutting down america's largest pipeline, from texas to the northeast. tonight, when will it be back up and running? what we know so far. more than 1,000 gas stations out of gas in parts of the east. demand for gas rising 20% in just 24 hours. drivers waiting in long lines. prices inching up. and tonight, news from the airlines now, longer flights may require extra stops to refuel. also tonight, the horrific mages. the 13-story building coming down in gaza. people running amid sirens in tel aviv, as the deadly attacks escalate in the middle east. hamas