could the delta variant change what it will take for the bay area to reach herd immunity? plus, the rare breakthrough covid cases that are causing alarm and confusion. public health experts break down the numbers. >> also ahead, the bars that want customers to show proof of vaccination to get in. plus, the governor's crackdown on organized retail theft like this. the plan he says will finally make a difference. and going underground. pg&e's new plan to move its power lines. fo joing

>> you're watching abc 7 news at 5:00. i think it's gonna get worse before it gets better. but it's not gonna get as bad as it has been. >> will it get worse before it gets better? and the delta variant is changing the game. now top doctors across the state say the highly infectious strain is impacting our chance was reaching herd immunity. stephanie sierra is tracking the latest data for us live in the newsroom. >> covid case rates are increasing rapidly in every bay area county. and top doctors sternly believe the delta variant is not only pushing back our chances of reaching herd immunity, but this latest surge will only get worse before it gets better. >> the delta variant. >> delta variant is the difference. >> we will continue to evolve our response >> reporter: it's what none of us want to hear. the delta variant has changed what it will take to reach herd immunity. that tweet coming from dr. bob walter, the chair of ucsf's department of medicine.

>> do you agree with that? >> yeah, i do. herd immunity is a function of how transmissible a virus is. the goal posts have unfortunately shifted with the delta variant. >> reporter: dr. george rutherford says the delta variant has pushed back the state's goal of reaching herd immunity by several months. and that's considered a safe estimate. >> i'm guessing we're now talking somewhere in the mid-80%. that's not people eligible for vaccine, that's everybody, including children. >> how much longer do you think it will take san francisco to get to that sweet spot? 85% fully vaccinated? >> at the rate we're vaccinating people which is not very fast, it'll take us months to get there. >> reporter: 53% of the state's total population is fully vaccinated. san francisco county is at 69% fully vaccinated. one of the highest rates in the country. yet covid cases are climbing at a pace we haven't seen since the onset of our last surge. >> we've increased eight fold in

the past few weeks and projecting that we'll be on an average of 80 cases a day. when if you recall, we were down into the low teens a few weeks ago. >> reporter: that pattern seen across the bay area. count, positivity rates and hospitalizations are rising. data analysis found from june 20th to july 20th, there have been more than 1,600 new covid hospitalizations and more than 400 new covid icu admissions across all nine counties. sonoma county accounts for 80% of those new cases. contra costa, alameda, and santa clara counties are the next highest. 30 to 60 new monthly hospitalizations. >> i think it's gonna get worse before it gets better. but it's not gonna get as bad as it has been. >> reporter: rutherford predicts the worst of this fourth surge will come around the fall during september or october but says that of course could change

depending on how quickly we increase the pace of vaccinations. >> what does rutherford think about masking right now? >> it's interesting how opinions have changed on this. he thinks it should be the norm right now. even if you are vaccinated. given what we're clearly seeing in the data, you really can't be too safe. and he's especially worried. he said point blank he's concerned people are underestimating the threat of the delta variant and how it's clearly moving back our state's progress. experts remind us as you're hearing here that no vaccine is perfect. especially as we hear about breakthrough infections. that's when someone tests positive despite being fully vaccinated. >> basic math at least five out of every hundred cases were going to be breakthrough cases. seeing them now is really not unsurprising. >> what do you need to know

about breakthrough cases? liz kreutz is here with look at the numbers. >> the important thing for people to know is that it is still extraordinarily rare to be vaccinated and get hospitalized or die from covid-19. nationwide more than 150 million people are fully vaccinated. of those, over 1,000 of people have since died from the virus, that is 0.0006%. as we learn more about breakthrough cases, numbers from the state help put it in perspective. what are your chances of getting covid after the vaccine? and how big is it of a risk? in california of the 20.7 million people vaccinated, 14,000 have contracted covid. 843 have led to hospitalizations. and 88 people have died. a number that could be even less. it's unclear if covid-19 has always been the

primary cause of death. >> the vaccine very strongly protective against severe illness and death. the vast majority of the cases we're seeing, people are asmimic. asymptomatic. or mildly symptomatic. >> reporter: dr. willis is the public health director for marin county. the county has had 177 breakthrough covid cases. three that led to hospitalizations aho zero deaths. >> what do you know about those people? >> there are some characteristics that are associated with more ser outcomes. older age or immune-compromised. so people with chronic conditions, medical conditions are at higher risk. >> reporter: we asked if there's a correlation between breakthrough cases and a specific vaccine. >> we haven't seen any association between the product, the vaccine type, and the risk for breakthrough in marin county. >> reporter: what they have seen is that vaccines work. even if you do contract the virus, state

data shows it's extraordinarily rare. a 1 in 235,000 chance you'll die so long as you are vaccinated. >> i think that's an important message. otherwise people might interpret breakthrough cases as a sign the vaccine is not effective. >> which is not the case. and we did reach out to all the bay area counties to learn about their breakthrough cases. of the ones we've heard from so far today, san mateo, san francisco, napa and sonoma, only sonoma county has report good deaths from vaccine nated individuals. two people have died, both over the age of 90 with significant underlying health conditions. >> okay. liz, thank you very much. today california teenagers opened up about getting vaccinated as they prepare for school this fall. state superintendent tony therman hosted a virtual meeting. one will be a freshman at harvard, another a student from oakland. >> having a family that has reservations when it comes to being vaccinated, i want everybody to know that being vaccinated is not a partisan issue. it's simply a matter of science and stopping the spread of covid-19.

>> i was skeptical about getting the vaccine. i didn't want to feel peer pressure. but a us know that i need to do whatever's in my best interest. and i like to travel. i'm planning on going back to school when we open up. and i like to eat. so i go to a lot of restaurants. >> today's event included a message from some warriors players about getting vaccinated. honest of san francisco bars are considering requiring patrons to show proof of vaccination before interesting. before entering. some bars have already implemented the policy after staff machines came down with breakthrough cases. >> reporter: in addition to your i.d., you are greeted by this sign requiring them to bring a copy of their vaccine card in order to get inside.peoplere reev t wre janete of the owners. they made the decision after two of their employees got covid-19 despite being fully vaccinated. >> in order to protect our

staff, knowing that unvaccinated people are riskier and a risk to our people, we decided to make the call and require proof of vaccination. >> we want to keep everyone as safe as possible. >> reporter: he says he hopes it may motivate people to get their shot knowing they need one to get inside. >> we also want to encourage people that aren't getting vaccinated. >> reporter: soon hundreds of bars across the city may follow suit. >> we feel like if we do it en masse, it'll be a sign of solidarity. >> reporter: he says he's gotten a lot of support from more than. though they're waiting until next week to decide if they want

to roll it out. >> it's not gonna damage business. for every person who doesn't choose to be vaccinated, i guarantee there will be five who will feel very, very comfortable because we're taking more precautions. governor newsom said today that the state has no plans for any sort of vaccine pass port. he says it's up to individual businesses whether to require proof of vaccination. good afternoon newsom signed legislation today to fight organized theft rings like the group seen on a viral video right here, running at the nieman marcus store in san francisco. >> we've all seen image, people rushing in, all across the state of california. those organized efforts. and they are organized, disproportionately, efforts. and we want to go after those rings. when they see these thing goes viral, the perception of lawlessness, the perception that

anything goes really -- that has to be overcome too. people fear crime when they city the way we're seeing it. >> chief scott says law enforcement not only has to deal with the people committing these crimes but get out the message that something is being done about it. moving on, pg&e says it wants to bury 10,000 miles of power lines underground in areas at high risk for fire. >> we will bury the lines. >> the company's ceo made the announcement in butte county. she says they have already started that process. they're burying lines in the rebuilding town of paradise where pg&e equipment sparked the deadly camp fire in 2018. engineers expect to bury 1,000 miles of line per year over the next decade. and the project is expected to cost up to $20 billion. pg&e has admitted its equipment may have started the dixie fire burning in butte and

pumas counties. new mandatory vaekzs are in effect for the evacuations are in effect. the more populated east shore is under an evacuation warning. the person who shot this video was among those leaving the area. she says this is her fourth evacuation since 2018. ash from the dixie fire is washing up along the shore of nearby lake almenor. 85,000 acres have burned since the fire started one week ago. 2.5 times the size of san francisco. it is only 15% contained. let's get to breaking news. sky7 is live over a fire that spread to an apartment building. we're not seeing flames in this picture right here. but you can see damage to a roof. there was some smoke off to the left-hand side. but the fire does to be under control. the fire starting just before 4:00.

you can see a little bit of smoke there in the center of your screen. contra costa county fire says no injuries, thankfully, have been reported. the state of the stadium. the president of the a's is in las veg as pushing his plan while oakland's mayor is here, pushing hers. which court the ball is really in. >> and later a look at the potential for covid restrictions to return. and who might have the [announcement on pa]

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erpretations. >> while the mayor of oakland is optimistic, the a's took a scouting trip to las vegas. >> reporter: oakland's mayor may still be optimistic about a waterfront stadium, but the team, the a's, seems to be reducing. >> what the city produced yesterday is not just one of the most iconic ball parks the world will ever see, but an entire, beautiful, community-serving ball park district. >> reporter: one day after the city council approved their own term sheet for a new a's stadium at howard terminal. >> down here in las vegas for two days. we have our lair lel pass going here. >> reporter: a's president offered his opinion from hihotel in las vegas. >> we're disappointed they didn't vote on our term sheet that we've been asking for for months for them to review. but by the same token, we're gonna spend the time to understand what they did pass. and my team's reviewing it. what ians on like inucre community benefits. and most importantly

timeline. >> we are committed to raising the funds necessary for the infrastructure for this project. >> reporter: the city's term sheet did offer some concessions to the a's. but the team and major league baseball says a deal is far from what the a's would need to stay in oakland. >> just saying. las vegas is gonna be 106 degrees this week. >> reporter: in her comments near the waterfront, the mayor emphasizing the beautiful weather here in oakland. as compared with las vegas where it's routinely over 100 degrees during baseball season. >> we're gonna build an enclosed stadium if it happened here. probably a retractible dome stadium. >> reporter: campbell says for the a's to continue to play ball with oakland, the city must approve a binding and mutually agreed upon term sheet by the d of baseb a major move today by local

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the air district says the rule is the most health protected and stringent regulation of its kind in the entire country. >> let's take a look outside. midweek, starting to look toward the weekend. >> always look ahead. >> we have great weather as we look ahead to the weekend. i want to show you what is happening with wildfires impacting parts of tahoe. yosemite right now. it's the tamarack, the dixie fires impacting the weather around the state and around the west. a live view right now, hazy from our tahoe camera. i want to show you another picture from yosemite. and you can see haze there.

air quality across the region has been fluctuating. but it is very unhealthy for parts of chester right now. as you can see here, and we do have some pockets of moderate air quality in yellow there around the sierra nevada. here in the bay area, we have good to moderate air quality. for the most part, even though it's a little bit hazy in spots. we are not having to deal with smoke in our region just yet. here's a look at the air quality forecast for the next four days. it's gonna be good to moderate for the coast and central bay here locally. live doppler seven, you may have noticed the fog got swept away today. everyone enjoying blue skies from our golden gate bridge camera as you can see. 67 in oakland. currently in the mid-70s mountain view, san jose, 60 degrees in pacifica. from our kgo roof camera, we are looking at a nice breeze along the embarcadero. 74 in napa, low 90s fairfield, concord, livermore at 85 degrees. temperatures responding, warming up a little

bit as we got so fond of getting blown away and the sun coming up. i want to show you the hazy skies from our east bay hills camera. that's what i'm talking about. limited fog for the coast overnight. for the workweek, clouds and muggier conditions early next week. fog in the morning around the coast and the bay. it is going to be really limited. so it's not everywhere. as we head into the afternoon, the fog will hang around near the coast. for the bay it'll clear out. and in the evening we'll see some sunshine with some lingering patches right near the san francisco/san mateo coast. temperatures in the morning, 40s, 50s. watch out for that fog. it could slow you down if you have to hit the road early. and as far as the afternoon goes, low 60s to the low 90s. it's gonna a pretty nice day. a wide variety variety temperatures. no extremes. 80s around san rafael. 78 in san jose. here's a look at the heat getting turned up a bit on

friday. mid-90s inland as we head into saturday. the heat hangs around. seven-day forecast, wide range of temperatures for thursday. it's gonna be a warmer friday, mid-90s inland, low 60s coast. similar saturday. and cooler for sunday, monday when the monsoon moisture comes in. and adds the humidity to the air. i don't like that. how about you guys? >> stop it. thanks, sandhya. the potential of returning to our pandemic past. need better sleep? try nature's bounty sleep 3 a unique tri layer supplement, that calms you helps you fall a sleep faster

and stay a sleep longer. great sleep comes naturally with sleep 3 only from nature's bounty and stay a sleep longer. great sleep comes naturally up here, success depends on the choices you make. but i know i've got this. and when it comes to controlling his type 2 diabetes, my dad's got this, too. with the right choices, you have it in you to control your a1c and once-weekly trulicity may help. most people taking trulicity reached an a1c under 7%. and it starts lowering blood sugar from the first dose, by helping your body release the insulin it's already making. trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. it isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. it's not approved for use in children. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, changes in vision, or diabetic retinopathy. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with sulfonylurea or insulin raises low blood sugar risk. side effects include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea,

which can lead to dehydration and may worsen kidney problems. show your world what's truly inside. ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. you can watch all of our newscasts live and on demand through the abc 7 app. it's available for amazon fire tv and roku. how much would you dread the return of restrictions if covid infections continue to build? >> a big adjustment. it could once again impact your job and kids' education. >> reporter: jobs were wiped out, stores and restaurants closed. could it return if the

looming wave of delta variant infections continues to build? >> i think this would be the nail in the coffin for many of them. >> reporter: director at the bay area council's economic institute. he is hoping pushes to boost vaccinations will help. but another economic slowdown is threatening millions of families. a new study claims one in three are unable to meet basic needs. 147 million latino households and one million households. in central and eastern parts of san jose, the percentage is 58% unable to pay rent, buy food and meet needs. >> when we look at an equity lens, those most on the margins, i fear they will be most impacted by an economic downturn from any sort of, you know, further changes to how we operate. >> reporter: even well-off families could struggle to find toilet paper and other goods if hoarding resurfaces or supply chains are disrupted. >> our people that are in charge have to really talk to the community. you can't make this

decision without really going to the people. i think that communication is a real big key. >> reporter: jamie hernc an eighth grade math teacher and mother of three. she is worried about restricts reappearing that could resume distance learning and leave students behind. >> it's up to all of us to think outside the box and think of the kids and for ourselves. we deserve it. >> reporter: a threat looming on the horizon. >> we want to stay open. and to help people in need, space center was in san francisco's mission district today, anouning $2 million in state funding for the mission food hub and meals on wheels. >> the mission hub opened in may of last year. it appropriates culturally appropriate groceries to thousands of families. world news tonight with david muir is next. thank you so much for joining us. >> we appreciate your time. hope to see you again in half an hour

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tonight, the growing concern. the delta variant, the hospital e.r.s filling with patients. and the doctor who says she has had to tell young covid patients in the hospital begging for a vaccine, i'm sorry, but it's too late. the delta variant now making up 83% of new cases in the u.s. now averaging more than 35,000 new cases a day, more than 1,000 cases an hour. and the concern over breakthrough cases in the u.s., infected children. those under 12 not eligible for the vaccine. 23,000 pediatric cases reported in the last week. hospitalizations now on the rise in at least 36 states and tonight the renewed debate here just as parents send their children back to school. should there be masks in schools

to protect everyone? parents divided. and in one state tonight