>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. dion: --kristen: hi there. i'm kristen sze. we're asking experts your questions every day at 3:00 to get answers for you in real-time. we will take you aboard the u.s. hornet -- uss hornet and talk to a veteran about the black history exhibit on this veterans day. we're also taking you inside home restaurant, yes, a home restaurant. they are growing in popularity in the bay area and you will find out why. but first, keeping an eye on anti-vaccine mandate protest happening right now near the golden gate bridge. you can see a lot of people gathered there, many with signs.

they have not moved onto the bridge yet but we will keep you updated. also today, there is no confusion over who should get the booster even as this debate over vaccine mandates continues. who should get the booster? as local and state officials sound a different tune. and a fight over asymptomatic testing after a postponed first major college football game postponed in the country because of a covert outbreak. i put the word "outbreak" quotes because there is disagreement to describe this. joining is now to talk about this is dr. monica gandhi. great to have you here. i'm just going to ask you. the public health department at berkeley put out a statement. they called this an outbreak. they said the state public threshold is three cases in a 14 day period.

they define any workplace environment as 20 cases as a major outbreak. so do you agree that with their 44 positive cases, what cal had here was an outbreak? was it? dr. gandhi: so, i don't know all the details of how many of the football players were symptomatic or not, and actually how many were vaccinated or not. so i don't think i can comment on this particular situation. i can tell you, however, that 44 cases or people having delta in their nose depends on if we're doing asymptomatic testing or not. if you are testing asymptomatic, vaccinated people who are not exposed to someone who is sick, then you have just not even followed cdc guidance. but you may get delta in your nose. the question is, is it clinically significant? is it causing symptoms in you? that's a symptom at. and can you pass it if you're asymptomatic?

increasing data shows it's very hard to pass it on, at least by culture data if you're feeling well and you're the exited. we may have to change our definitions of outbreak. kristen: but isn't it true that with 44 cases, there's transmitting going on? how is that possible, or likely i should say, when you have 99% of the players vaccinated? dr. gandhi: so the thing about delta variant, and this is just true, is that it is highly transmissible. and what that means is two fully vaccinated people can still pass it on. beacon still pass it on to another person. however, what is the viral load of that person depends on their ability to pass it on to someone who is vulnerable, like an older patient. and there are two stats t statst they aren't passing on very well. number one, there's a health care worker outbreak in the

netherlands of delta, and actually cultured people's noses. the virus, they cultured it, put it on a plate, see if it grew in cells. and it didn't grow very well. why? because your immune response is trying to kill it. the second outbreak is in singapore. you can pass the virus to someone else, but the viral load comes down really quickly if you're vaccinated. totally makes sense. so the question is, and this is a true question in the setting of delta. if weight -- we swab a lot of delta, you will see it and a lot of people's noses. can it make people sick? kristen: you swab, you test positive. should you be declared ineligible if you don't have symptoms? dr. gandhi: in a real world, a real-world, research laverty, we would do two things. we would measure the viral load in your nose. they say don't use that as a clinical test.

we would measure the viral load to see if you could pass it on. and we would measure its viability, its ability to grow in culture by looking at it on a plate. those studies have been done and you're not as likely to pass it on if you are well and you're vaccinated. in fact, there have been five new contact tracing that shows if you're asymptomatic and vaccinated, you're not passing it on very readily. kristen: so, do you think some of those players probably could have played, and perhaps the game didn't need to be postponed, safely for all? dr. gandhi: see, at this point, the cat is out of the barn. they tested positive. we don't do cultures. we don't do viral loads. and now they can't play because this has happened. no, they can't play. but there was a study from health-care workers who tested positive one-day, all vaccinated. the next day, all 33 of them were negative. and then two days later, they were still negative.

so if you do repeat testing, they may not still have it in their nose. and that's one of the good studies that shows as you're probably not passing it on if you're asymptomatic and vaccinated. it's too late. kristen: not only is it too late for playing, and nothing they can go to class for 10 days, as well, or be around other people. and that is a question that's being asked at other universities, as well, right? should kids all miss class or have to isolate, you know, based on they show a symptom? they don't know whether they're positive or negative yet, but the university has a policy of saying you stay put. what do you think should happen? dr. gandhi: so, i don't think that universities should have the policy you just said because they may not have covid. they may have a different type of virus and you just because the learning loss. so what i really endorse and i've been trying to push the cdc about is something called test to stay. and all that means is that if you've been exposed to someone

with covid or even that you have symptoms of something else, like a cold, that you get the test with a rapid test, serially, and every time it's negative, you get to go to class. and that way, you don't stay out for 10 or 14 days and you restrict learning loss. you prevent learning loss because that's what we're doing with mass asymptomatic testing. kristen: you made statements about football, soccer, the relative safety and the way they're played outdoors. the other people disagree. they say it's a lot more than being on the field and playing. it's being in the locker room, staying in the bus, staying in the same hotel when you travel. do you still think running a football team during these times is relatively low risk? dr. gandhi: where i get that information from, and again, this game can't play now. we have 44 people who has delta variant. however, going back to outside football, where did that come from?

there was a study last year, just published, that literally some researchers watched football games in settings of high community transmission, no vaccines available yet. they analyzed exactly what the football players were doing, how long they spent in contact, how long they spent within time of each other, and there was zero, zero transmission outside of football players in this large study, which i'll send for your readers. so that was a powerful study that shows the outdoor activities are very safe. you're right that, of course, inside activities are where things can happen, which is why those football players were likely masking insight because that was the recommendation at the time. but there was zero transmission outside, zero. kristen: thank you for all your thoughts on that topic. i also want to move on to boosters because people are even more confused now than ever about whether they're eligible for boosters because cdc has been saying 65 and up unless you have a medical condition or concern.

but yesterday, california's secretary mark galli said if you want a booster, you're an adult, you should absolutely get one. santa clara county says they will give any adult shot, so what's happening here? has the science changed? has the place changed? as the situation changed? dr. gandhi: so the science has not changed. what is the science? so, the fda, when they reviewed the first application for booster shots on september 24, put together 74 studies from around the world. there is just an article today about this, that showed the vaccines were holding up extremely well against severe disease in those under 625. -- those under 65. the new york state data showed over 65 is where we're seeing waning effectiveness and hospitalizations. so i strongly endorse 65 and older getting a booster. the data has not changed. however, what mark gailey is

reflecting is what biden said in the middle of august, that all americans should get a booster. the problem is the public dissent, and the dissent among experts is that it's been played out on the public stage. and unless we follow a good study that shows as this, you were looking like you are just making stuff up, actually. so, i think it's more important to follow data. new york data, over six to five, absolutely get a booster. fda says it. and then immunocompromised should have gotten a booster back in may. and people who are at high risk and around a lot of covid should get a booster. kristen: so if and 35 years old, which i'm not, but i like to pretend, and i'm perfectly healthy, no need for a booster? dr. gandhi: not by any scientific data set that we have in this country, or worldwide. on the other hand, if you want to get one, of course you can get one. i doubt it's not going to be safe, but there is not the scientific data that says you need to get one. kristen: i want to ask you about

the fact thatw e're back in the cdc's red transmission tier. some doctors overate about a winter sruge. i know you say let's not look at cases. the are you worried about a winter search? dr. gandhi: i think we're going to have increased hospitalizations, but not anywhere near last year. light? the -- why? because we have vaccines. the vaccines work. kristen: always great talking with you. thanks so much. coming up next, we're going to take you aboard the uss hornet in alameda and

as we honor and thank our

veterans, we want to let you know there's a special exhibit you can check out now on the uss hornet. let's go live to alameda aboard the hornet. joining us from there is a veteran, leon watkins, who is also the founder and ceo of walking ghosts of black history. leon, thank you for your service and thank you so much for joining us today. leon: thank you for having me. kristen: your group, walking ghosts of black history, created this new exhibit on the hornet. before we talk more about the exhibit, tell us what your nonprofit is dedicated to doing. leon: our nonprofit deals with two aspects of supporting active duty and veterans. one, we are a living history type organization, where we lecture on information, dealing with the african-american involvement in military history. and then the flip is where we try to support veterans and active duty that are going to veteran status on their benefits, making them aware that they can go to school, get their

health care, even housing for homeless under the program. kristen: that's fantastic work because obviously, you know, we respect veterans. but the fact of the matter is when we -- they come home from service, they're not always given the support and dignity sometimes, so that is great work. but let's talk about this exhibit. it teaches us about prominent african-american female first in the u.s. military. can you talk about that or perhaps one or two of the women whose contributions we should all know? leon: yes, it started where i had gotten african-american female to receive a star in united states air force, it stated that she had passed and she buried in arlington national cemetery. and so that's what our theme was going to be for veterans day.

but we realize that she was not the first. and so then we looked at featuring the first in the military branches of african-american women excelling and achieving the goals that they set out, such as the first african-american female combat pilot, the first female african-american to receive a star both in the army and the air force, the first woman to join the coast guard, and the first african-american woman to die in combat. kristen: alright, well, those are people we should definitely know, along with, of course, the first african-american secretary of state, general colin powell. i understand you have a special tribute to him, as well, right? leon: yes. yes, we did. not only having attribute, but we definitely had the colorguard who then basically acted as an honor guard, supporting the exhibit.

kristen: all right, well definitely we want to check out the exhibit. you have an interesting story, leon, yourself. you grew up in the bay area. i think you were born in richmond and then you joined the marine corps. and then after retirement from the military, you worked in the movies, right? "glory," "driving miss d talk about marrying your love for the arts in this very important mission that you have to improve the life of returning veterans, especially blacks. leon: it basically started getting out of the marine corps and was looking to pursue as a freelance photographer. i happened to be in savannah, georgia, where my mother is from. and at that time, they were casting for the movie, "glory." and so i went on to the production office and became a production runner. so subsequently, becoming

background, where he also became morgan freeman's stand-i itn. -- stand-in. but the hook was having researchers telling me the story of what wasn't told to me in school. and a producer found out i had an interest, and that my lifelong friend, who is the cofounder and president of black history, we came together and created the walking ghost of black history on knowledge that we didn't know about. and so as we got more involved in the history, we realized as veterans ourselves that we were going through situations where it was hurry up and wait as far as getting information on benefits. or we had to keep applying for benefits. and so we took our experience to help veterans understand that no doesn't always mean no.

kristen: leon watkins, we thank you for hours she your service. -- thank you for your service. and i invite the wrist to check out walking ghosts of black history, your website, as well as your exhibit on the uss hornet now. thanks, leon. leon: thank you. have a good evening. and we are setting up a permanent exhibit thanks to the uss hornet sponsoring us. more to come. kristen: more to come. excellent. take care. happy veterans day. leon: you two. thank you. kristen: something that's come out of the pandemic strong

kristen: have you eaten inside a home restaurant? or maybe not inside, but used a home restaurant? we reported on the first wave of home restaurants in the bay area as local county start issuing permits for them to operate. you're getting a firsthand look at this idea that's going in popularity.

joining us now is chef tina aurora, owner of curry sutra, based in san carlos. good afternoon. how is it going, tina? tina: good afternoon. it is going fabulous. how are you? thanks for having me. kristen: can i just tell you, curry sutra, i love the name? tina: thank you. my mom and i came up with over 20 years ago. kristen: speaking of mom, is that what you got your cooking roots started? tina: that's correct. my parents had restaurants in the midwest starting in the 80's -- the mid-80's. i didn't like the smell of curry when i was going to high school all over my uniform, so we got through it and it just became -- it's actually in my blood. let me say that. and now i'm doing it in my cooking school on the peninsula, as well. my parents are my true inspiration. kristen: i can barely focus because i'm looking at photos of this food and my mouth is watering and i'm getting very

hungry all of a sudden. but this is indian food, right? is this a particular region of india? tina: correct, so northern indian. we're from delhi. but i also do teach and cook south indian cuisine, as well as other cuisine, but indian is my forte. kristen: i got to ask you. you have a home restaurant, and this whole concept is fairly new because even though california passed a law allowing them, it was pandemic that drove the counties to set up the permit process. you just got your permit. what does that enable you to do? you can serve the food inside your home? or you just prepare the food inside your home and people buy it from you and pick it up? tina: correct, great question. so you can do both. i can have people in my home. and as a dining experience, they can pick up, deliver. it's just like a micro kitchen as like a small restaurant,

basically. i have all the know-how and knowledge. i grew up in the restaurant business. the only thing that's different is that it's not really brick-and-mortar. we don't take reservations, thing like that. but i can scale it so at this time, it's and i sleep pad to -- a leap pad to start like a restaurant. kristen: and obviously the idea is without the high barrier to entry, the expense of rent you have to pay. a lot of great cooks who want to be chefs can start their own. but a lot of viewers are wondering, how can i be assured that this is sanitary and safe. can you kind of show us? i know you're are not really in a position to show us what you got there so people can see the set up and the food. tina: sure. so basically you have to pass an expansion. you have to be certified. i think i'm not the norm of everybody else out there doing this because i grew up in the

restaurant business. i had a cooking school on the peninsula. i have a few more credentials, but you have to follow the rules and anybody can do it that's passionate enough to do it. this is my small kitchen here that i will be cooking out of although i do have a cooking school, as well. again, everybody passes the inspections. there is a protocol and then you are good to go and it's just, again, recipe for success, having that passion. and my kitchen is super clean. i'm kind of a neat freak. no need to worry about that. yeah. kristen: so getting the permit, what is involved in the process, right? i assume not only do you submit an application, you have to go multiple steps, maybe learn some stuff, take a workshop on some things so you understand food safety? i get. you've had a long background before that and probably had the under your belt. the what is involved in the

process of getting your permit? tina: right, so like you said, there is an application process, and then they will take a look at that. if that looks good, they will come to your home, do a quick inspection. i do have another inspection coming up once i get up and running so they can see how i prepare everything. you do have to take a serv-safe online course, typically three years. i already have that. for the home kitchen, you will need a manager. so it's the same credentials as you would in a restaurant. kristen: got it. ok. so, are you open now? and how can people find out what you're serving up and what's on the menu? tina: so i'm really busy with my corporate teambuilding events, so i'm planning to open after thanksgiving. folks can definitely contact me before than an order in advance. we can set that up. it will probably run two to three times a week for pickup. i'm not offering delivery at

this time. and again, everything from indian cuisine down to other cuisines like italian and mediterranean. but my focus and my niche is really plant-based, vegetarian and vegan, and gluten-free, as well. so a lot of spices and herbs, and promote wellness in eating. kristen: alright, curry sutra, easy to find, unique name. congratulations. good luck to you. tina: thank you so much. appreciate it. kristen:

kristen: thank you so much for joining us. we'll be here every weekday at 3:00 on air and on livestream answering your questions. for b go, let's take you live to

sky seven again were an anti- vaccine protest is going on on the golden gate bridge. they are expected to march across the bridge at some point. not a big impact to traffic at this point. tonight, the dramatic moments in the kyle rittenhouse trial. just one day after rittenhouse took the stand in his own defense. the jury now seeing new images of the moments before rittenhouse shot and killed two protesters and wounded a third. those images from a witness for the defense. tonight, the defense now resting its case and how soon could this be in the hands of the jury? tonight, the alarming news on covid. for the first time in many months, covid cases now on the rise overall in this country. 22 states seeing spikes tonight, from colorado to new mexico to michigan. what they're seeing in the icu. and where they're now seeing the number of vaccinated patients in the hospital ticking up, too. some calling for booster for 18 and older immediately. the first blizzard warnings of the season tonight.