>> building a better bay area, moving forward and finding solutions. this is abc seven news. kristen: hello and thank you for joining us. you are watching "getting answers we ask experts your questions every day at 3:00. today, we want to clear up what remote learning means for california parents considering that option for their kids. it is nothing at all like that school surge fueled by the delta variant. today, we are lucky to have back on our guest from the san francisco general hospital. thank you for joining us. guest: thank you for having me. kristen: in our interview last

week, you talked about your hospital offering supplemental shots for those that got the johnson & johnson shot which got the attention of the cdc. it went viral. what is the latest with this. i know you have a flood of requests for those supplemental shots. guest: we do. there were a large number of people out there this morning getting ready to take advantage of that opportunity. again, it is important to differentiate this from a recommendation. we are not saying, i any means, this is something that you should do and we are not pushing it in the same way that we art the vaccines. there is really good science and data that support the vaccines. this is not as well supported by the science we do have suggest it is potentially a very good idea and unlikely to be harmful in any way. we are saying that for those that are interested, they can get it.

kristen: are you granting them to everyone that got the johnson & johnson in san francisco or just select people, those with certain medical conditions? do you have enough for everyone? guest: at this stage, it is foro everyone that got the johnson & johnson in san francisco. and we do at this point, have a supply to supply that. kristen: you are careful to differentiate what you are doing here, the upper mental -- the optional supplemental as opposed to a booster. guest: a booster -- and to be clear, we do not have a booster as we sit here today but it would be something specifically designed for the variant. you could think about the annual influenza vaccine that we get as sort of a booster to what we have gotten before. it is specifically designed for the new work variant of the

influenza virus and this would be the same type of an idea. we would have a booster available for the newer variant coming out of the covid-19. what we are talking about here is a supplemental shots. kristen: when we do get that ok broadly to get the booster, you expect it to be a little different. that is important to note. real quickly, patricia has a question on facebook. what side effects have you seen for those that have had a booster shot? perhaps you can talk about the side effects if any. guest: so far, the side effects have been minimal. where we are seeing more in terms of symptoms that develop, those that have had covid-19 have been infected with it, have recovered and are getting the vaccination. we saw that with the original vaccination and now the supplement. they feel a little unwell. usually, it is fatigue.

not feeling quite right for about 24 hours. in terms of increased side effects, we are not seeing those at this stage. kristen: what is your best guess as to when the u.s. would get a booster or ask individuals to get a booster shot? guest: this is important that it is a guess on my part. we are hearing that october, november would be the earliest. i would expect that we will start seeing booster shots available either in late 2021 or early january or february of 2022. kristen: no doubt osman appreciates that. aren't most of the vaccines that we take not single-dose? like mmr, hepatitis? isn't the theory that the more you see that in vader, the more your body ramps up and is better equipped to deal with it? guest: to answer your question,

yes, we do a lot of multiple doses. the influenza vaccine though is a good example. it is a single dose for that year. that one does stimulates your immune system. and that is the idea behind these vaccines. the moderna vaccine and the pfizer vaccine are mm -- shots. the johnson & johnson vaccine is similar to what we have had in the past. and those have generally been one-shot. they do still stimulate the immune system. kristen: erica has a child going off to college and another stage. he got the johnson & johnson shot. should she get the booster now? guest: here is an important differentiation. i do not have the data to recommend saying that you should do it. i think it is a reasonable option. i will give you an example.

i have three children. one got the j&j and he is going to get the supplemental shot. but i really do not have the data to recommend and say that they should get it and it is very reasonable to wait and see what further data shows and it is also important to emphasize that the j&j is still very protective against serious illness and death. kristen: speaking of serious illness and death, the cdc is pointing out again today that more than 99.99 percent of fully vaccinated people have not had a severe breakthrough. what should be our take away from that? guest: that is absolutely true and it is also what we are seeing here in san francisco and across the country. there are breakthrough infections. and some even need to be hospitalized ridiculously in elderly or immunocompromised patients. but we are seeing such a dramatic difference between those that are vaccinated and those that are not.

and the sick and dying patients are almost exclusively in the unvaccinated group. getting to that point of this is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated. kristen: why are case numbers in san francisco so high again? i know it is a concern where you are. we have such high vaccination rates, if we look at the another lens or the u.k., -- the netherlands or the u.k., they have high vaccination rates and they do not have the same hospitalizations and deaths. why are we seeing more serious cases? guest: well, i would say in san francisco that we are not. we are seeing hospitalizations. today, san francisco general, we have 17 in the hospital, only three of which are in the icu. i would say that in

francisco, because of the community is embracing the vaccination process and the way that it has, we are in much better shape than what you see an florida or texas which is very different. predominantly in the unvaccinated group, they are kristen: the ones getting sick. -- they are the ones getting sick. kristen: guest: i don't -- i would say that the infection rates were very concerning in early july. they have leveled off in terms of the rates of positivity. at does not always correlate into hospitalizations and deaths and as you pointed out, what we are seeing even with positivity rates, that means lower levels of patients are getting sick.

i don't see any indication that we are going to be overwhelmed. we are bracing for a significant surge but i strongly suspect that we and san francisco are going to be ready for a particularly if we can continue to trend downward in the positivity rates. kristen: the cdc has pointed out that those that of had covid are twice as likely as those that have gotten vaccinated. guest: i think what that speaks to is the covid variant, particularly the delta variant and how infectious it is. you are not protected from that simply by having covid-19 in the past. we don't have data behind this so i cannot say it is absolute but we are seeing different behaviors and those that have been infected assuming or suggesting they feel protected. maybe their behaviors have been a little riskier and it is clear that they absolutely can get this virus. kristen: doctor,

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♪ hello, colonial penn? kristen: we are back with our guest, the chief emergency medicine from zuckerberg hospital. there is a point you wanted to make before we dive into some other questions. guest: we are seeing more evidence that those that have been infected with covid-19 not only can they get infected again and have been infected again, but they also clearly benefit from the vaccine and there is

additional protection beyond what they have and it may be significantly beyond what they have having had the infection that the vaccine gives them. it is another reminder of how important it is, even if they have been infected in the past, to get the vaccine. kristen: we have another question about why elementary schools are opened since kids under 12 are not vaccinated. opinions could not be more diverse. some have asked, why should my kids wear masks in school at all? let's look at the data from countries that never closed their schools. what do we know about transmission and transmission with mitigation efforts? guest: there is no question that when universal masking is performed, that transmission rates are significantly lower.

we have not seen big outbreaks in school. again, the data is not perfect but what we do have suggest that we can do this safely but we do need to take these measures. this alludes to the question from earlier, why are we using masks? this is one of the reasons. kristen: delta is sending more kids to the hospital but are they sicker? what are the symptoms you are seeing in the children that are hospitalized from covid? guest: in general, we are seeing similar systems. cash similar sent -- similar symptoms. what i would say is that right now, we are looking at the data closely but we do not have anything that suggests they are truly getting sicker. it is just now the majority of the people getting infected are in the younger age category than they were before. there are numbers that are greater in the younger age

categories. but right now as we sit here today, there is clear evidence that they are getting sicker with the delta variant. kristen: real quickly, vaccines from the five through 11-year-old group, the fda has not gotten data from pfizer or moderna on their clinical trials. guest: i understand that it has not yet been given to the fda. kristen: how long will that take/when will -- take? when will five-year-olds to 11-year-olds be eligible? guest: hopefully soon. kristen: will the dosage be different? guest: i have not seen anything suggesting there needs to be different dosages. kristen: if there is an outbreak in a school, what do you think should happen? today, the governor indicated there is no scenario in which we would see schools close due to cases. thoughts? guest: yes, i think it is too

early to make an absolute statement on that. i don't know the threshold but there will need to be some threshold as it would not make sense to continue to send kids to school if we continue to see outbreaks. that being said, as we spoke about earlier, schools have not been seen as a major source of outbreak. there will need tooo threshold though at which point it does make sense to stop going to school. kristen: new indications that students that are masked that up had contact with a covid positive student also masked do not need to quarantine but need to test weekly or twice-weekly over a 10 day period. do you think that procedure is enough? guest: if everyone is wearing their masks, the transmission rates will be extraordinarily low and the more data we gather, from the beginning of the pandemic and now to the delta

variant, the more this has held true. the more people are masked, the transmission rate is extraordinarily low. kristen: do you hope that once the vaccines get full fda approval that the state will say that kids need to get vaccinated with the covid vaccine before entering school? guest: yes, it is important t tt preempt that by saying i believe mandatory vaccinations is a critical step in addressing this pandemic. i recognize that thatt difficult for a lot of people. i understand that. but i also see that we are facing a pandemic unlike anything we have seen in more than a century and this impacts all of our communities. i am a proponent for vaccines. i am hopeful that will be the next step in getting mandatory vaccinations for people going to school. kristen: and you are a practical

man. somebody make it so. guest: yes, exactly. kristen: we have a statement from someone saying the vaccine improved my -- issues. guest: we have heard that and there are people looking at this. there is no question that i've had a number of patients tell me that exact scenario. it is still important to recognize that we do not have enough data to say, yes, this is a way to take care of long-haul related issues. we do know that it is safe for patients experiencing long-haul to get the vaccine. kristen: another question, i had my covid-19 shots last february and now the flu shot is around the corner. can i have a flu shot though i am vaccinated already? they do not conflict, right? guest: they do not conflict and you can get your flu shot. we had a very different flu

season last year. far lower. all of the steps that we were taking to prevent covid also work to prevent influenza. it is still important to get those vaccines. kristen: elizabeth says, if you have been exposed, when should you be tested? and how many days will you find out? guest: what we are doing now is that we are testing people on the day we know of the exposure. and then generally again in three days after that. the time period that people need to be -- need to pay particular attention to their symptoms is about 10 days. we test as soon as we know about the exposure and then again three days later. kristen: what about immunocompromised children returning to school -- are they

at a higher risk of contracting the disease? guest: they are not at a higher risk of contracting it but they are at a higher risk if they get it. that is why it makes it so important to adhere to these principles particularly universal masking. kristen: doctor, thank you so much for all of your time and insight today. we really appreciate it. guest: thank you again for having me and i hope this was helpful. kristen: we have been talking about kids going back to school. the idea of a remote, independent study is popping up. is that going to work for your family?

that is what the data shows. kristen: welcome back. although full-time in person learning has returned to the bay area, not every parent is comfortable sending their kid back. some are opting for remote learning let's be clear, what they will get is remote,

independent study and nothing like the remote -- the distance learning that kids got last year. joining us to discuss this is dr. jody marshall, a vice president at stride, and educational company that many school districts are partnering west. dr. marshall, thank you for your time. guest: thank you for having me. kristen: a lot of people think they can opt for what they had last year where they are on zoom , taught by your teacher. what is available is remote, independent study. guest: what the legislation calling independent study means school districts need to provide a virtual option for parents or students not comfortable going back into the brick-and-mortar classroom. and instead have a virtual option. there is quite a bit of flexibility so students are able to move back and forth between the brick-and-mortar, face to

face option and the virtual, independent study. different school districts are utilizing that and implementing this independent study in different ways. some are partnering with organizations like ours and we offer anything from single courses online all the way to full programs online. we could be the teachers teaching the courses or be -- or the school district teachers could be teaching the course. different districts are implementing it in different ways depending on the right fit for them. we are just here to try to help in the partnership. we know last year was pretty difficult and we want to be able to help ease the burden. kristen: let's talk about how do you deliver your lessons. is it live, one-on-one instruction? live group instruction? is it videos like khan guest: it is a little of all of

the above. we have some asynchronous and some synchronous learning opportunities. some students could be doing work on their own, they could be in a small group or a full class lesson depending on the class or the chorus. and grade level plays a part in that as well where the little ones from k through five would have more support than high schoolers who might be able to work more independently. it is really all of the above that you mentioned. students would be interacting one-on-one, in small groups, and in a whole class. kristen: how much does it depend on parental supervision or guidance for the child to succeed doing it this way? guest: again, it depends on the age of the child and their ability level. we do build in a lot more support at the younger levels. obviously, you are working with students that are not necessarily all readers yet at that young age so there is a lot more support build in for the younger grades.

it really is personalized. it depends on what the child needs in that given course. kristen: is it the same content that kids would get in their own schools? i understand the idea that if you stuck with it through the whole year, you will learn the same things but i imagine it could be structured differently if you chose this verse your friends who are still in person at your school learning. guest: the curriculum is aligned to the california state standards. but to your point, a teacher in a face-to-face situation might choose to deliver the content in a different order. the scope and sequence could be in a different order. what we do is make sure, especially if we are partnering so that we are doing the teaching, we make sure the brick-and-mortar teachers do have access to the scope and sequence and they can see that the curriculum is aligned to the state standards. they also get over 60 reports to

show them the data so they can see what the child was doing when they were online with us. kristen: i understood you to be able to provide the instruction part of it but we heard last week that the california education department officials saying the instruction part must be delivered by a district employee and not an outside vendor. let me ask my producer if we have to take this over to have to take this over to facebook i was injured in a car crash. have to take this over to facebook i had no idea how much my case was worth. i called the barnes firm. when a truck hit my son, i had so many questions about his case. i called the barnes firm. it was the best call i could've made. your case is often worth more than insurance offers. call the barnes firm to find out what your case could be worth. we will help get you the best result possible. ♪ the barnes firm, injury attorneys ♪

are out of time. we encourage parents to talk to their school officials about this. thank you for joining us on this interactive show. today, we spoke to the chief of emergency medicine from the hospital. we covered returning to school, a vaccine effectiveness, boosters and masks.

we also answered the question about remote, independent learning. the option if you don't want to go back to his g tonight, the alarming surge in covid cases here in the u.s. hospitals under stage. and what they're now seeing in children. the virus targeting tens of thousands of children, with the u.s. now reporting more than 100,000 new cases of covid a day. hospitals again nearing the breaking point. in arkansas, for one, just eight icu beds now available. in austin, texas, tonight, reports just six icu beds left. florida tonight requesting 300 ventilators fratatatatororororor and with the n new school year already getting under way, doctors urging the fda to authorize vacac vacacac v v v v. dr. jha standing by to answer your questions tonight. the major fires in the u.s. in california, the dixie fires, now the second largest in california