happy friday. i'm dion limb and you're watching getting answers live on abc 7 hulu live and wherever you scream what we do is we ask experts your questions every day at 3. talk to get you answers in real time. i'm really excited about today's show because we start off with the man who was incarcerated and also homeless, he's a little bit later on. he has turned his life around and is now an advocate for truth about these issues. we cannot wait for you to hear his story. also, we're taking a look at the dating world in this pandemic. we'll talk about what's changed what hasn't and how to really navigate this new world. but first, let's break down the very latest covid headlines. so joining us now is abc 7 special fondant, doctor alok. patel has been far too long, dr. deon it has it's an honor to be with you. i usually just i follow your

advocacy on on instagram and you're like a local celebrity and i'm like i wanted i want another segment with you hardly. i think you're the one who's been a celebrity. you've been on good morning america. you've been everywhere. so let's get right to it because i know that we only have a few minutes with you. and i hear from our producer that you want to get right to it and play two lies and a truth a little bit of a take on the usual game. you're correct. usually what our viewers know is we play two truths in a lot of reach you tell me which headline is false. today. we're gonna switch it up. the theme is boosters. we're gonna play two falses in a truth. so i'm gonna read off three scenarios about people getting boosters and you have to tell me which one actually follows a cdc recommendations. okay. so are you ready? yes and everybody who's on facebook, please chime in i am going to take some of your questions a little bit later in the commercial break. so take it away. i rock and roll tell me which one of these is is actually following the right recommendations is a 37 year old works in a hospital. got the pfizer vaccine in june. getting a moderna booster or is it be a 72 year old professional

video game player? awesome job. got a moderna shot. it got the moderna shots in march and is getting a full dose moderna booster or is it c 19 year old college student got the j&j shot in august is getting a fiser booster because that's reference which one actually follows the guidelines? okay, it literally got it. i made this deliberately tricky because these are the questions that we're all getting right now. you know, what's throwing me off is the professions of everyone. i don't know if they actually have anything to do with the question or if they're a trick, but for me i am willing to bet that be is the truth because it seems like the dates are far apart enough and you know two of the same vaccine seems very likely these days. what do you think? well, these are so these are hypothetical scenarios. okay, we will tell you ray says a carol is saying see osman is saying b so really we are all over the board dr. patel. you are really getting tricky on us. well, you know this and and i

it's not me getting tricky the headlines right now what's happening the information from being thrown out there? it is tricky because it's changed so much. so i will tell you are we ready for final answer? yes drum roll, please da da the one that actually follows the guidelines right now is c. that is the one that is following exactly. the guidelines say now we can run through these really quickly. so if you look at a a this this person should be getting booster, however, i said june and the actual eua for the pfizer booster is six months after the shot. it is not been six months since june. oh and we are allowed to mix and match vaccine. so modern is okay if you look at b this amazing video game player who lives at home got modern on march. that is the correct time. in more than six months, but the modern boosters actually half no it's not full dose. okay, and that is important if you're gonna run out if you're gonna run out and you need to specify that you're getting a booster and you're not getting your primary series if you're gonna get more darna and see see is important because it comes

down and making sure that you know your options. is a valid is a valid decision if you're going to get the j&j sean you all the sudden want to get a different one because of what you've heard with data. so this 19 year old it doesn't matter above 18 two months after the j&j shot and it is absolutely acceptable to mix and match there. you have it. oh boy, there were so many details in each of these possibilities. i just am so confused. so i'm glad that we're by the way. out to brenda and to gregory it looks like both of you got this quiz, correct on you and carol and carol. i think carol was the first one let us not forget carol who says yay double exclamation points. so sending a hello to you as well, carol, you know dr. on this topic we have received so many mixed reactions from this week regarding the first topic. i mean, where do we even begin in making sense of all of it? and making sense with all the boosters. so, you know, i think it really has to come down to what we're worried about and what we're

trying to prevent and at the end of the day the important thing that we saying over and over again is that the vaccines are still highly effective against hospitalization and severe death. now, what is concerning is the waning antibody level which some experts say that might lead to winning immunity. you can't just jump from waning antibody levels to waning immunity because we know that the immune system is more complex than that, but we are seeing more of those and i hate this term breakthrough cases and in americans who are above the age of 65, but also those were highly exposed and that's what this all comes down to and the reason i say that is if anyone out there is sincerely concern. saying am i high risk? you got to look at the facts? like are you above 65? do you have any underlying medical conditions or are you at risk of being exposed to covid-19 if you work? store nursing facility if you work in a jam-packed school and a community where vaccination levels aren't that high and that's when you start with you say like am i someone who needs a booster and remember mixing and matching is very beneficial, especially when it comes to availability and one thing that i want to see play out in the real world. is that when we have these mass

vaccination programs, so let's say there's a vaccination supply going to a nursing facility deon. it's so much easier if they just bring one vaccine and then instead of trying to match boosters with every single person's primary series. and so hopefully the rollout goes smoothly and people just finally know the facts and we get those booster numbers up for those who need it that reminds me of the initial vaccines. where at the point where everyone just said, okay, whatever we can get our hands on. let's just get and that was the recommendation from so many health officials speaking of that subject. we are getting a question in from a super user named mark. will it be recommended that children will need a booster shot. what are you hearing? to be honest, i haven't heard anything yet about children needing a booster shot because we do feel like this is an age so far that has knocked on what has unrelatively well against severe hospitalization hospitalization illness and there is no way. tell if the antibody levels in children are waiting after vaccination because they haven't been vaccinated yet. and so what we're waiting to see is what's going to happen on october 26th ish when you know,

we finally sit down when we the fda and the cdc sit down and look at all the data which looks promising so far with fisa releasing new data saying that the pfizer vaccine is about 90% effective and preventing symptomatic covid-19. and then in those kids age to five to 11, so i think that's the first step to see what's coming up with that data and hopefully we have shots and arms for those school. it's come early november well on the topic of kids, california public health officials. they've said that they will not relax those school mask mandates, so kids should expect to wear masks in school all through the winter. do you agree on this? yeah, i think this is a tough one and i actually do feel for those public health officials who are trying to make broad recommendations right now because you know now i would what i would like to see is metrics in place that are dependent on the community when we're looking at schools. now what do vaccination and transmission rates look like in a school because this could very well differ if we have for example a high school where 80% of the teens and the teachers are vaccinated in a community with very low transmission rates

versus another place where you might have a younger children. you might not have high vaccination rate and the mass recommendations in both of those may differ. and so it is hard for me to say broadly like yes mask everyone in schools throughout winter. i would much rather see those guidelines in place, especially because that actually sends a really good signal saying hey vaccinations work and we get to a certain level we can get those masks off. i think something that you have echoed for a very long time now during this pandemic before we had to break. i think we have time for one more question and i'm skipping ahead a little bit because it has to do with the surge because it reminded me today as i saw all the pumpkin spies and the holiday things start coming out on the market that the holidays are around the corner. do you set his pumpkin spice? everywhere, right? i mean pumpkin spice candles and sauces everything so that just got me thinking about the urge, and i know many people are concerned about that holiday surge that we saw last year. do you anticipate the same

thing, but we have these boosters now things have changed. things absolutely have changed and i am not nor is anyone i speak to you as worried as we were last year and part of that is because of the high level of vaccination in many parts of this country including and i have to recognize high level of natural immunity as well. but again, we still have more than 70 million about 65-70 million eligible americans above the age of 12 who have not yet gotten vaccinated and there is some communities where this is an even higher more concentrated issue. so there's absolutely a risk there. and you know, this is why i think there's so much discussion right now, but what's happening in the uk with a recent surge because they've been fully open for three months. they had a high vaccination rate. is it because they've been open and there's small groups who are not been vaccinated. because antibody levels have been going down a little bit. it's really hard to say right now, but i think that's what everyone's paying attention to and saying hey holidays are coming. this is not like last year and i anticipate a lot more people are gonna take those masks off and gather together indoors. so do the responsible thing and make sure you're communicating

with everyone around you and that people are being safe and are hopefully vaccinated. i love that you brought that up. we're going to continue that in the commercial break, but when we come back and once incarcerated and homeless now is an advocate and he shares his story next stay with us. we are taking that break on the air the cvers

i'm dion lim today. i had the honor of mcseeing welcome homes annual fundraiser called home. sweet home. it was at harborview restaurant in san francisco. the nonprofit helps homeless families who are transitioning into permanent housing and someone who spoke at the event. is whose message is so strong is tom wolfe. he lived not only through homelessness, but also drug abuse and incarceration.

yes, that was his mugshot. tom now speaks openly about the subject of recovery and the truth about homelessness addiction and drug policy there. you see him on your screen tom great to have you on the show. well, thank you deanna. it's really a pleasure to be here. yeah. by the way, i said earlier your story gave me goosebumps because it is so raw it is. so honest. tell us how you became homeless. and important for you to be so open about your story. well, i i actually i became homeless because of my drug addiction i had foot surgery in early 2015. i was sent home with a 30-day supply of oxycodone for the pain and that kind of developed into an addiction that spiraled over the next couple of years into heroin. and then eventually fentanyl and in early 2018. i actually know was given a choice by my wife to either go to treatment or leave the home because of my addiction, you know, i wasn't paying bills. i had quit my job all these things were happening and i made the decision to leave the home

at that time because the addiction was just too strong and i spent the next six months living on the streets of san francisco in the tenderloin. homeless hopeless and addicted to heroin and fentanyl and it wasn't until i actually got in trouble with the criminal justice system and ended up in jail. when i got clean and then i went to a six month inpatient treatment program here in san francisco where i found recovery. and now i'm about three and a half years into recovery, and i'm an advocate now for recovery and for changes to our approach around the drug crisis. that's out of control in san francisco and changes to drug policy and and also to talk about the intersectionality between drugs drug use and homelessness and how that's complicating the issue around homelessness, especially here in san francisco. yeah, and i think it resonates so much when you have that personal experience and are so transparent about it. because you have lived it and no better person to explain some of

the solutions that you propose before we get to a little bit more about you. i want to tell everyone that welcome home provides these transitioning families with cookware and linens and kitchen appliances things to help the transition into a permanent home and make sure that the vulnerable stay housed. so on that note, what are some of the organizations that helped you because to be sober for three plus years is a big accomplishment. well, you know and i had a lot of support in that, you know, i was in a lot of meeting rooms doing kind of 12-step meetings which are support groups, but also organizations like the salvation army, they really helped me out a lot. they really helped turn my life around by providing me with some, you know, basic tools and a foundation to kind of reestablish myself back in society one of the big things around homelessness is when you're out on the street, you be kind of become disassociated from the rest of society and it's a very lonely existence even though there are other people that are also homeless on the street with you you're not

part of a community a healthy community. let's put it that way so, you know recovery is about reestablishing yourself. it's not just about dealing with the issues inside of you that led to your addiction, but it's also about reestablishing yourself, you know doing basic things that we all take for granted like reestablishing a bank account. your credit getting id job resume and then the basic living the basic things you need to live and that's where this this program where we were at this morning. really really helps out because it does provide those basic amenities that we all take for granted everything from toiletries to furniture linux towels things that that for someone that's exiting homelessness. they very quickly find out that that being housed. it takes a lot more than just, you know four walls. it takes all the tools that you need to make a home happen. utensils, you know pots and pans, you know basic basic things and you know, if you're just starting out again, you know, or maybe you don't have a

job yet all these different different barriers that come up in your recovery. and as you exit homelessness having that type of support system is really really helpful. yes. it's those basics that i think so much of us so many of us take for granted and before i get to the next question. you reminded me didn't you say at today's event that there was dentist occasion weren't you getting a bank account or there was something that you had mentioned that i thought was very memorable. well, yeah, so it wasn't until march of this year march of 2021 that i actually was able to open a bank account because i had done so many things, you know over drawing my bank account bouncing checks things like that to support my addiction that nobody wanted to give me a chance so it wasn't until march of this year where i was able to open a bank account. so i had to go for the first two and a half years. in recovery, just uh, you know on cash only and you know, so many people now so many places now are you know, it's a they don't take cash right now

because of the pandemic so you can imagine how how much of a challenge that is or finding a bank that will cash your check how much of a challenge that is, so that really was change it for me. yes because that allowed once that bank account came along it allowed me to do things like, you know, rebuild my credit and things like that. oh think again things you do not necessarily think about when it comes to homelessness, i know we only have about 90 seconds left but along with housing which you spoke so much about what are some other solutions that you see. well, i really think it's important that we start focusing on reducing the demand around drugs this year in san francisco. we've had 511 overdose deaths through the end of september. so we're on track to meet the same threshold. we met last year, which is around 700. so we really need to focus on expanding and promoting drug treatment in the city. we need a treatment on demand system, and we also need to really look at ways that we can work with law enforcement to reduce some of the sublock supply on the street we have open air. feeling happening 24/7 in san

francisco, and it really is complicating the issue of homelessness in this city as so many people on the street right now are self-medicating and struggling with addiction. yes, and not to mention the people who are on the street. we are taking a look at some of those pictures right now, and it's very easy to judge those people. but i think you have provided our audience with an idea of what it is really like to be homeless and that you're a different face of maybe what they perhaps think homelessness is so with that. we appreciate you so much for being on our program if anybody wants to learn more about tom he has a website tom wolfe dot org. he's also on the speaking circuit. you can check us work out also on twitter as well tom many. thanks. thank you dear coming up next it is a new world out there, especially if you are single we are getting into dating in a pandemic and the divide between vaccinated and the unvaccinated. so please be sure to stay with us. we are taking that quick break on the air the hey, i just got a text from my sister.

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this last segment is for all of you singles out there. it's the results of an annual study from dating website match.com. those are out the site has been doing this for 11 years and essentially tracks the attitudes and thoughts of singles now, of course covid plays a huge role this year. we thought it'd be fun to bring these guests on our show since it is friday. so us to talk about it you see in the center, dr. helen fisher a biological anthropologist and scientific advisor at match.com. also, we have dr. justin garcia, give us a wave and evolutionary biologist and sex researcher at the kinsey institute at indiana university. welcome to the show both of you. thank you very much. thank you. let's be here. great. all right, let's get started dr. fisher. i want to start with you last year the vaccine we know is not available this year it is how has that changed how america dates i think i have some ideas based off of what some of my girlfriends are griping to be

about at the end of the day. well, what's amazing? is that something like 73% of singles have been vaccinated and that's a great deal more than the general population, which is about 64 percent. and at first i was really surprised at this because you know when you're in a partnership, you've got people who are going to urge you to go and get that vaccine, but it's singles who are getting the vaccine more and it began to think to me. oh, right. these people are in the dating market, i mean, you know, they're trying to win life's greatest prize, which is baby partner and in fact, and in fact, that's very healthy, you know if you're in a long-term happy partnership, it slows the aging process actually and and enables you to live longer, but but the bottom line is advertising that they are healthy. they're also advertising that they're following the rules. they're respecting author. and in fact forty eight percent of them believe that people who are unvaccinated are selfish

that they're not community-oriented that they are are just not playing by the rules. so these people advertising that they are are clean and neat and available. and in fact that they're all so respecting the rules and being good members of the community doctor fisher. i never thought about that, but it really tells you a lot about a person whether or not they are. related so that is a little insight into who they are so i can see that helping in the dating world doctor. nobody wants to say. oh no. sorry going to go out with a somebody who's self-centered. amen sister. all right, dr. garcia. let's get to you now because you know as i was thinking about this segment, there are certainly make or break criteria when it comes to dating for example when i was in the dating world, i knew that i didn't want to date someone who smokes so let's talk about the importance vaccination status. become for singles who are looking to mingle. oh, absolutely, and i think

exactly, as you said, we know that when it comes to dating and mating we all have priorities we bring certain what we what dr. fisher and i call mate choice preferences to the table and but in our study so it's our 11th year of a singles in america study with match we every year we'll ask about the things that people are interested in and partners and exactly as you said vaccination status, right so we know as as helen said 65% of things singles would like their dating partner would be vaccinated but then we ask to rank the importance of that and compare it to other things and 58% of singles in our samples so that the vaccine is important compare that to 53% that's a political affiliation was important or 43% that said religion and ethnicity was important. so we see that the vaccination says is bumping up in the way that we're prioritizing the things we're looking for in a partner that is fascinating up there with religion and some of those other non-negotiables that is pretty shocking but can

understand it. we only have about a minute or so left. so dr. fisher and dr. garcia, you know, this is an awkward thing for me to say on tv, but can you please explain what the not so slutty summer is what is this term that you have coined? absolutely, you know way over 50% of singles now will not have sex with somebody who's not vaccinated will not start a romance with somebody who's not fixing. well not even go out on a first date with somebody who's not vaccinated. so, i mean if i say one thing, you know get vexed, you know, it is your ticket to romance and i think i love that dr. fisher has a perfectly and i think as we look at the data what we really are big takeaway from it is although there were a lot of predictions that people were gonna have a lot of fun this summer perhaps in particularly in the romantic. sexual life what we found was this deep commitment to getting them know a partner much more interest in meaningful connection and sex that happens

in the context of meaningful relationships. so things like one night stands friends with benefits. those numbers were the lowest we've ever seen them in over a decade. wow. i've asking questions who new and all it took was a pandemic for people to rethink their one-night stand status or behaviors how interesting is that dr. fisher and dr. garcia many thanks to the both of you. thank you for being here. thank you. things all right as we had to break i do want to share some of the facebook comments that we are receiving at facebook.com slash abc 7 news, please be sure to tune over there as we head

thank you so much for joining us today. we covered a lot from covid we heard from a former.

homeless man who became an advocate and we■alsolearned about the importance of vaccinations in the dating world. thanks again for joining us. i'm tonight, the stunning deadly shooting on a movie set now under investigation. actor alec baldwin's first comments about the tragedy. baldwin firing a prop gun during filming in santa fe. describing his shock and sadness over accidentally killing director of photography, halyna hutchins, and wounding the director. the gun supposed to be loaded with blanks. questions now about safety protocols. crew members walking off the set. and at least two accidental discharges in the last week. and we're now hearing the 911 calls for help, moments after the shooting. kaylee hartung in santa fe. major news tonight about covid vaccines and children. data showing pfizer's vaccine nearly 91% effective against symptomatic illness in children 5 to 11. fda advisors meeting next week to consider authorization.