dan: dozens of cases in california, a new covid-19 variant causing concern tonight. dion: booster shots now available. the county telling eligible people not to wait to get one. >> what's the reason for not explaining what you believe? >> because it's none of your business. dan: it is warriors media day and the focus was on andrew wiggins. he listened to the questions but didn't really answer many of them. announcer: building a better bay area. moving forward. finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. ♪ it anne: keeping a close eye on a covid-19 variant. a growing number of cases in california are linked to this variant and searchers say it could be better at evading antibodies. . i am dan ashley.

dion: and i am dion lim, you are watching abc 7 news at 5:00 on abc 7, hulu live, and wherever you stream. dan: reporter luz pena spoke with santos to our sequencing and researching of the variance of concern. lose gas virus continues to adapt and evolve. the variant is a new strain of covid-19 researchers are keeping a close eye on. the cdc identifying multiple spike protein mutations with this variant. >> it does carry some mutations that allow it to be less susceptible to the vaccine. luz: he is the co-president of the bio hub. his team is actively sequencing covid-19 variance.

>> how would you compare the delta variant to this variant. >> the delta variant has additional mutations in the spike protein that allow it to spread faster. luz: this variant has some of the mutations. >> well it does have those mutations, it doesn't have as many mutations as we saw before. luz: according to the cdc, the first cases of this variant were detected in kentucky, where both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents were infected, meaning this variant has the capability to evade the antibodies produced by the vaccine. >> the virus is evolving to transmit better in the population. luz: those so far, 228 have been detected in the u.s. since march. the latest data aggregated by

scientists worldwide of the outbreak points to 53 cases in california. this is the principal investigator for ucsf's bio institute. he says they are waiting on more data to fully understand the power of this variant. >> what we have to check is how well these other patients are handling it. luz: as it stands now, the delta variant is the variant of concern, it has mutated more than 20 times and continues the dominant variant. but now the r.1 variant proves that mutations will continue to take place, and the only way to stop them is to get vaccinated. in the newsroom, luz pena, abc 7 news. dan: i know you are talking to a lot of experts about this. this variant has been detected in california, but has it been detected in the bay area yet? luz: the doctor confirmed they

have not detected any of them in their sequencing. many counties are tracking variants, but they are staying vigilant for this r.1 variant. dan: president biden received a covid-19 booster shot, he got a third dose of pfizer today after getting the first two doses in january. he qualifies because of his age. first lady jill biden got her third shot this afternoon. president biden encouraged people to get vaccinated if they have not already done so. dion: in california, booster shots are being rolled out at 600 pharmacies. counties are also setting up their plans. reporter stephanie sierra joins us in the newsroom with more. reporter: any day now the state is expected to announce they have adopted the cdc's guidance and release their accommodations and how they can start implementing the rollout locally. in the bay area, plans are imminent and we are expecting many clinics and many pop-up

sites will be up and running as soon as this week. the clock is ticking for california to make the final call on covid booster shots, a decision expected at any moment as counties begin rolling out shots this week. >> very soon, within a few days at most. reporter: the ucsf doctor explained that county officials will advise people to show their vaccination card proving the date of the second pfizer dose was six months ago, as well as have them sign itself at the station form. >> we're are talking about people who got the pfizer vaccines. reporter: some people who got the pfizer vaccine are able to get a third dose, but rules will be stricter at county-run sites. so if you did not get pfizer initially and you feel at risk, will you be turned away? >> they will. this is just for pfizer. reporter: the health department is reopening a mass vaccination site next thursday, october 7,

starting with 1000 pfizer appointments per day. >> we expect when we are running at full capacity, to be able to do up to 3000 that day. this is only a pfizer-booster only. reporter: she is the operations chief for the san mateo county health testing sites. she explains the drive-thru site will be run similar to the official vaccine rollout, with lanes open on each side. how can people make an appointment? >> there is a new platform to register on. reporter: the steps are simple. the states website gives two actions to find a walk-in clinic or make an appointment for a third dose. the cdc director told abc news that is next on the to-do>> we r moderna and jj in very short order. stephanie: health officials in bahrain county will begin administering boosters at the northgate shopping center which will have an expanded vaccination clinic, starting this wednesday.

solano county, the board will be voting tomorrow on whether to reopen the fairgrounds as a mass vaccination site in mid-october. dion: certainly not wasting any time. what did dr. rutherford had to say about this booster rollout and how it could impact chances of getting to herd immunity? stephanie: she was very clear that as important as the rollout is for giving priority groups additional protection, it will not have a big impact on herd immunity, he said that will come as soon as children ages five to 11 start getting vaccinated. it will give us what we need to get closer to that. but he added that we cannot lose sight of prioritizing people who are still not vaccinated. dion: first steps first. stephanie, thank you. if you live in the south bay and you are eligible for a booster shot, but health officials say don't wait, seek out that extra shot today.

>> there are certain groups for whom we urge people to go ahead and get the booster, anyone 65 and up, anyone who lives in a long-term care facility, or if you are over 50 and you have an underlying medical condition that might make you at greater risk, and get your booster. dion: the health officer of santa clara county says boosters are available at five county run vaccination sites. you need to make an appointment at both sites. dr. cody says people who are eligible should get their boosters right now because there may be high demand in the coming weeks, when the fda is expected to authorize vaccines for children ages five to 11. dan: the warriors played their first preseason game one week tonight. today was media day and a big focus was on andrew wiggins, who has been denied a religious exemption. curious, he took questions, but he did not give a lot of answers.

>> we are exactly right. he spoke about 15 minutes and answered every question, but he kept a lot of things private and reiterated that point over and over. last year all the covid protocols, you are not allowed anywhere near the players. the vaccination of forward andrew wiggins was the overall storyline today. we will take a look at video of media day. last week the nba denied wiggins a request for a religious exemption from the vaccination, meaning as of now, he will be unable to play home games at the chase center for the warriors under san francisco's current waxing requirement. he handled questions regarding that status, and repeating that he wanted to keep the issue private. >> the fact is -- my back is definitely against the wall. but i will just keep fighting for what i believe. whether it is one thing or

another, get the vaccination or not get the vaccination, who knows. i will just keep fighting for what i believe, and what i believe is right. what is right to one person is not right to the other, and vice versa. >> he is the type of guy who will risk being around the situation. i am vaccinated and i have an understanding about this. he has a different understanding, but his understanding is something i truly respect and i have a value for how he sees life. >> everybody is in a difficult position, and we have all made decisions that you feel right for you and your family and whatever the case is. this is no different, whether you agree with him or not. you have to let it play out. chris: dan, you had mentioned the preseason game. the regular season opens for the

warriors in october 19 against the lakers. he will be eligible for that game. we'll see how this vaccination situation plays out both with him and also if anything changes within the city and the county. but as of now, to miss 31 home games, that is a huge chunk. you heard him and his teammates are very respectful of his decision. dan: they are. chris, thank you so much. >> all the good people to get this thing rolling. welcome to -- 2021. dan: this hype man, a familiar voice to many golden state warriors fans welcomed attendees to the largest in person conference in the bay area since the start of the pandemic five. thousand people are expected at the san mateo county events center for a cloud-based software event. attendees must be fully vaccinated and have a negative covid-19 test taken in the last

three days. the gathering is outdoors as well. masks are required, and there are rapid tests administered on-site. stay with us, napa county is still recovering from a major wildfire that started one year ago today. the challenges and optimism in wine country. >> i don't expect this happening in this neighborhood. now i am worried, is he going to come back when i am not home? dion: a verbal assault over a dentist or

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gig-speed broadband network. and just doubled the capacity here. how do things look on your end? -perfect! because we're building a better network every single day. dan: san francisco police are investigating a homicide south of the market area. release first got word of it just after 8:00 a.m.. officers around to find a man with gunshot wounds at mission street. he was taken to the hospital but did not survive. police say no arrests have been

made. dion: in the southbay, a father is sending a warning out after he says a man harassed him and then vandalized his cars over his child's dinosaur flag, a story you will see only on seven. this is the beginning of what drives up toisfather thought wae simple question,, mistakenly thinking the man was asking about his bicycle, not the dinosaur flag he bought for his three-year-old son. >> i answer, oh, in my mind he's asking about the bike. dan: that is when things start getting awkward. tagalog is a language spoken in the philippines. you are a weirdo. you are a creep. pedophile creep.

reporter: even cursing in front of tian''s children. tian staying calm. >> don't use those words near my kids. dion: finally the man makes this threat. even worse, san jose police say the man returned several hours later to do this -- >> [smashing] [expletive] pedop >> he came back and smashed both of my cars with weights. reporter: this is the weight he says he found in between his kids' car seats. while san jose police say the incident does not appear to be hit-motivated, tian can't help that think he was targeted because of his race. >> i think he thinks i have filipino, but i am actually vietnamese. reporter: this is why he is speaking out, to protect his usually quiet neighborhood. >> whoever this person is, i hope he will get caught so that does not happen again.

i want to shine a light and show that it is safe for everyone and safe for my kids in this neighborhood. dion: you have to shake your head at this one. can you imagine if there were children in the car at the time? really terrible stuff. dan: and so meaningless and senseless. good for tian for keeping his cool and making sure this did not escalate. dion: and for standing up and keeping out. dan: we glad there are video cameras to record these things. in the north bay, it has been one year since the glass fire sparked in a napa county. as abc 7 news anchor liz kreutz reports, many in the region are still recovering, but there is optimism about a better harvest. liz: in napa county today, the exciting energy of harvest. but beyond the manicured vineyards and smiling tourists, still the scars and reminders from a different september 1 year ago. it was exactly one year ago today that the glass fire sparked near st. helena, quickly

spreading flames up and down the valley and forcing people like jan to evacuate enamel of the night with nothing. >> we woke up and there were flames. we could see the flames and we ran to the car. i was in my underwear. i still have not found my dog. we left with nothing. luz: today, she is still recovering. her dog passed away from burns from the fire. >> she was such a good girl. liz: she is yet to move back into her st. helena home. >> it has been challenging. we thought it would be three months. this is already a year and we are still not back. liz: down the road from her, this wine company, where tree removal is still underway after the glass fire burn through 14 acres of their property. did you think a year later this is what your property would look like? >> i expected it to be further down the road than where we are, but i am glad we are making some

progress. liz:. liz: rebuilding is just one of the many challenges for winemakers in a napa valley there is the drought, water shortage, and the threat of fires to come. >> it is pretty awesome. >> we made it through at least this. at least we are near the harvest. so there is a lot of real, positive energy. a lot of optimism. liz: and of course, resilience, as one year later the valley continues to rebound and rebuild. >> just have to rebuild. you know, just come back stronger. yeah. come back strong, napa strong. liz: liz kreutz, abc 7 news. dan: a live look at site now. we saw some drizzle this morning. dion:. dion: now showers are moving

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> there are some showers moving to the bay area.

dan: which is nice to see, dejan. it is early yet, but it is going to see you -- it is good to see you. sandhya: absolutely, good to see you as we start the work week. earlier today you probably saw some drizzle. we did have some showers -- we do have some showers right now in the north bay in the windsor area. right around windsor road, very light stuff, not heavy-duty rainfall. it is going into santa rosa at 5:37. there is a cold front bringing northern california rain. that is the same system coming through our region, bringing much-needed wet weather across the pacific northwest. so let's time this out. a couple of showers at 6:00 tonight, very spotty in nature. 7:00 across parts of east bay. a couple sprinkles by 9:00 in the southbay. tomorrow we start with patchy fog and higher clouds.

and then skies really clear out. l.a. nature from our exploratory in camera. looks like it is misty outside. san francisco and oakland inch, 0.02". santa rosa, 0.01 inch. a quarter two half-inch in walhalla. winds are picking up, gusting to 24 in san jose. that system bringing up the first largest northwest swell of the season so far, eight-10 feet. watch out for large breakers and a risk of rip currents if you will be near the coast between 9:00 p.m. tonight and 11 :00 p.m. tomorrow. 64 in the city, 69 in oakland. 72 in san jose. a live look from our emeryville camera. 71 in napa, low 70's from

concorde to livermore. spotty showers and drizzle tonight, gusty winced tomorrow. your morning temperatures inhe 40's, and 50's. watch out for fog in the morning . you will definitely need a jacket because it is getting cooler with the long nights. afternoon highs, mid-60's on the coast. 90's inland. the accuweather 7 defeat forecast will feature gusty conditions in the hills. we will keep the warming trend going, much warmer toward the end of the workweek. mid-90's inland. upper 60's to low 70's at the beaches. will keep the autumn heat going for the weekend before it cools off on monday. just a tiny bit of advice, dion and dan, make sure you have your umbrella if you are stepping out in the next hour or two. dan: that is nice to hear. dion: as she mentioned, there is a beach hazard statement from so

to monterey county affecting the west and northwest facing beaches, including ocean beach which you see here. waves are expected as well as increased risks of rip currents. dan: still to come, a new opportunity to save lives.

dan: finally, a long-awaited celebration that will make it easier to help save another person's dion: the american red cross gave san francisco city dignitaries a tour of its new blood donation center it is on the corner of a central location just a few blocks away from city hall. >> what we want to do is focus on increasing blood donations from diverse communities, because what we have challenges with our especially the african-american community. we are seeing 4% of those folks giving our african-american. dan: to her point, the red cross is also helping to increase the number of black donors giving blood to help patients suffering from sickle cell disease. dion: world news tonight is next. i am dion lynn. dan: and i am danny ashley. four of sandia patel -- for

sandia patel, we appreciate you being here. (background talking and laughing) ♪ ♪ (child) ...some people just go there immediately...

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tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. the verdict in the r. kelly trial here in new york city. singer r. kelly guilty on all counts, charged with sex trafficking and racketeering amid decades of allegations of sexual misconduct with minors. the jury deliberating just nine hours. he now faces decades in prison. the coronavirus and president biden today receiving his pfizer booster shot, as tens of thousands of americans eligible for their booster now line up. tonight, if you got moderna or johnson & johnson, what is the timeline for boosters for you? and how soon could there be shots for children 5 to 11? multiple high stakes showdowns on capitol hill. the house with crucial make or break votes on president biden's domestic agenda.