>> building a better bay area, moving forward and finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. host: hello and thank you for joining us. you are watching "getting answers." we ask experts your questions every day at 3:00 to get answers for you in real time. today, we are marking the one-year anniversary of the deadly attack on the u.s. capital. a congressman will join us later in the show to talk about the lessons learned from that day and where the country goes from here. a lot of new developments in the bay area's battle against the covid-19 pandemic including different symptoms from omicron, the impact of the vaccine on omicron and women's menstrual cycles and why upgrading your masks are so critical -- is so

critical right now. joining us to does gus this is -- joining us to discuss this is the doctor. we have almost 20 minutes with you and i am so glad. feel free to put your questions in facebook live for the doctor. i saw california's new cases are slightly lower today. have we hit the peak of this surge? guest: i am crossing my my my i'm looking at the test positivity rates. they have also plateaued in the last few days. i am holding on to hope that we have hit a plateau. hospitalizations lag from cases in the community but we are rising there but hopefully, with a plateau in the community, we will see one in the hospitals eventually. host: this is looking into a crystal ball and a number of

factors are not determined, but, once we start to drop, how quickly will we drop? do you think in two weeks, the surge will be over? a lot of colleges have postponed in person passes until after mlk day. will we be ok then? guest: the prediction is and of january, early february, we will go back to pre-omicron. host: ok. because resources are stretched thin, perhaps less so in the bay area, but in some parts of the nation, they are having to ration things like ventilators. when is the right time for me to go to the hospital? what symptoms should i be showing before i go in? guest: i will start with the big

two -- and i mentioned those because these are things that you have that early treatment really matters. heart attacks and strokes. some of these early signs may be very subtle, maybe slurring of speech, of course, weakness on one side, you don't want to wait on that. heart attacks may have typical symptoms so you may start with arm pain, jaw pain. not exactly the clutching of the heart. i think some nausea. watching not just for symptoms but the trajectory of the symptoms and if you have risk factors. and things like eye injuries, fractures, things where early enter bench and -- where early

intervention makes a difference. host: you are talking about things that are not triggered by covid. guest: i'm just thinking about things that we might avoid because of all of the infections. these are non-covid infections or conditions. i'm sorry if i did not make that clear. host: there is a lot of confusion because with omicron, there are some new symptoms. they suggest that covid -- they suggest covid. i heard hearing loss is a potential one. guest: i think it is easier to see what we don't see with omicron. les the loss of smell and tas less shortness of breath. people being short winded. a little less fever's. if you think about what is happening, tons of virus being produced, 70 times more than

delta including involving the throat. you have to pick up things a sinus infection or blockage of the airway. runny nose. all of these things that are upper rather than lower. host: but because some of those symptoms you mentioned even are similar or indistinguishable from cold and flu symptoms, how do we know we suspect we have covid and should go in? guest: some red flags would be if you cannot catch your breath while you are walking. that is assigned to go into the hospital. any uncontrolled diarrhea. we have been seeing that with kids as a presenting symptom. and you worry about dehydration.

if you are unvaccinated need to be on high alert for anything related to covid. you may decompensate a little more quickly and have more internal illness. you will have a very low threshold. host: i want to move on to masking because yesterday california extended the indoor mask mandate until at least february 15. is that wise and necessary? guest: it is wise. it does not mean that the masking by itself will be 100% effective. we don't put everything in one basket. we don't rely only on testing, vaccines, and masking. we are trying to hit the pause button to protect resources and if possible, protect restaurants, schools, government

services. that is what we are trying to do with all of this so the masking mandate makes sense to me. host: but all masks as wewewe are not created equal. a wall street journal graphic, based on the study by the american conference of hygienists was telling. i think it makes a strong case for upgrading our masking. walk us through the dramatic differences here. guest: there is a hierarchy of masks as the chart suggests. the least effective -- not wearing a mask is the least effective but if you wear a cloth mask, that is the first level. the second level is a surgical mask. what is not pictured on the graphic is a double mask. you put on a surgical mask and you could fit it better by tying the loop and then a cloth mask on top. that is double masking.

and the tesla of masks is the n95. they are tough to wear for long. if you are in a high risk job like steady indoor time, for example, i work with at work in utilities. if you are in a store for a long time, kn95 and host: i want to throw that graphic back up because the amount of time difference to transmit an infectious dose of covid-19 really interested me. let's say you have a person that is not infected but you come across someone that is, am i reading this right where if neither one of you is wearing a mask, in 15 minutes, you there previously uninfected person will get enough to become

infected? if you are both wearing n95's, you have 25 hours to being your each other without getting infected? guest: if it is fitted,itted,ite get as much as 25 hundred hours of protection but the caveat is, this chart looks dramatic but if you are boosted, it also acts like you are wearing a good mask as well. if your immune system is more compromised, it will also put it in the other direction meaning you would be more susceptible. host: not everyone will have the same result but it is eye-opening. when we come back, we will talk

host: we are back now with the doctor. here to talk about the days . san francisco state university announced it is delaying in person classes until february 14. that is five weeks from now. do you think that is necessary? guest: i think they may be flexible and perhaps they are giving a considered end but it may be sooner than that. i think early february will be a sweet spot to think about. there are many unknowns. maybe it is easier logistically to restart earlier rather than extend something. it is glass half-full, glass half-empty. host: san francisco teachers, in their second day of a stick out. and some oakland teachers may participate tomorrow. they say that not enough has been done to ensure their

safety. is the school environment somehow less safe than any other environment right now? guest: we do not have a ton of data right now with omicron transitions -- transmissions in schools. but, schools have been safer places. when you add vaccines from the kids, we hope it will be safe. we know if the teachers are vaccinated and boosted, they will have a low chance of getting ill, going to the icu, and dying. host: another listener wants to know is there a need for schools to continue to take temperatures? my child's school does not do that. is it necessary? guest: it doesn't doesn't does't especially with omicron. it makes us feel good. for covid, not so good. host: what about the rapid tests

which a lot of schools distributed to the kids -- if they get a negative reading, it is never 100%, but does that assure you they are not infectious at that point? guest: in two studies use rapid testing sequentially, there are no transmissions going forward. i would say there is also a recent small study of 30 people showing that initially with omicron, rapid test may be negative. the transmissibility is much lower. we do not rely 100% on testing so we use it in concert with masking and ventilation and together, the environment will be safer. host: jill wants to know is a cloth mask with a pocket and a

filtration system, is that enough? guest: i do not think it is great. host: even with a filter? guest: i think it will be better than a cloth mask for sure. it is almost like double masking. but it depends on how good you are about putting the filter on. again, if you do not fit it well on the sides, you will have airborne particles possibly coming in. host: well fitting is key. this caught my eye, the vaccine may have an impact on women's menstrual cycle. what is that impact? is it temporary? guest: there have been a lot of anecdotes throughout the pandemic of women reporting heavier bleeding, abnormal menstrual cycles and a study of

4000 people from the east coast shows that the duration of the mentor role cycle is higher but the -- someone normally has bleeding for seven days, it will continue to be seven days but it will lag. it will be 29 days instead of 28 days. that will come back to normal in about two months. host: i know you continue to push the importance of vaccines and protecting people but there seems to be some new information about how they prevent hospitalization with omicron but there is a big difference between getting two shots versus three shots. guest: we have been seeing more data. u.k. and elsewhere in the u.s. where if you look at hospitalizations with two shots, anywhere from 50 to percent-60 -- 52

terms of deaths. you are still using hospital resources by not getting the booster. host: we have about 30 seconds. i would like to address cindy's question, what about the new variant discovered in france. should we be worried about this more? guest: we should not be worried. it was around before omicron and we have only had 12 definite cases so far and they have all been in france. host: always great talking with you and learning from you. thank you so much and we will see you again next time. guest: thank you so much. host: we will be right back

marking the one-year anniversary of the deadly attack on the u.s. capitol as congress was certifying the presidential election. president biden spoke about it

today, what he calls the "web of lies" that put a dagger to america. it is our democracy that are safeguarded year later? joining us to discuss that day and where we go from here is southbay congressman, ro khanna. i know the day has left its mark on you. my apologies for asking you to relive it, but described the moment you thought you may not make it out of the capital. guest: well, i was in this office where i am sitting today and we first heard there was a bomb threat and we all evacuated . i started walking towards the actual u.s. capitol and my phone was flooded saying the u.s. capitol is being invaded, go back to your office. i scrambled back and i went to my office even though there was still a live bomb threats. i closed and locked my doors.

i was here until midnight when the speaker finally called us out to certify the results. i am very grateful to the u.s. capitol police and everyone that kept us safe. host: looking at these images, still horrifying year later but since then, has there been an awakening that our democracy needs to be protected? or are things worse than ever? guest: there has been an awakening. one thing we can take solace from is our system work. -- worked. that very day, we certified the results. that the u.s. capitol police has increased the ability to have security so something like this never happens again. but i am disheartened there are still so many republicans who are unwilling to condemn what happened. you can say that some came for

legitimate protests and some bystanders got caught up but anyone watching that show no there were thousands of people that came with the goal of inflicting violence. i don't understand how every american congressperson and senator does not condemn that. host: your gop colleagues did not attend the ceremony -- the anniversary with the exception of liz cheney. blame on the former president. are there new revelations regarding president trump's actions? guest: just how widespread his efforts were to override the election. there were powerpoint presentations that show the

efforts to overturn the elections. to say they were fraudulent. it is scary how much of that effort there was and how many people in the trump administration were involved in that. host: many californians may not be paying close attention because it seems so far away from us but those that deny the election results like the protesters that were there that day, are running for political offices nationwide. aren't they? guest: they are and i think every person that runs for office should be asked a simple question -- do you believe joe biden is the legitimately elected president? and you believe the insurrectionists were wrong? and if they cannot answer those questions satisfactorily, i don't see how they can represent anyone or hold political office in -- and the confidence and

trust of their fellow citizens. host: the other thing i should mention is voting rights are being curtailed in many states right now in legislatures. i wonder if today's events suggest a particular course of action you think we need to take. guest: this has to be our highest priority. it is mine. it is 2022. we cannot have a country where everyone does not have an evil right to vote and in state after state, they are denying people the right to register on the same day or cast absentee ballots. this will impact black americans, latino americans, young americans. we are asking that every person has an equal right to vote. past the voting rights act -- pass the voting rights act. host: there are some who think president biden's comments today

may only divide further, certainly former president donald trump is saying that. there are others who say he needed to say what a dead to get more support for voting rights. is that what this is about, do you think? guest: i think president biden spoke from his heart. he came into office wanting to heal the country and get past the division. after january 6, even kevin mccarthy was condemning what had happened, mcconnell condemned what it happened. so many republicans spoke out. now, they fear challenges. that is what is going on. they are fearful they may have a primary challenger and not be in the good graces of donald trump. i was wrong. i thought after january 6, donald trump was done.

we see politics going on and i think president biden understands that for us to unify the country, we first have to defeat the forces that are not willing to condemn violence. we are not talking about anything that difficult. we are just saying, condemn the people that attacked the u.s. capitol. host: a senior law enforcement official says in the 24 hours leading up to today's anniversary, intelligence analysts are seeing an increase of concerning chatter. have you been warned of that? guest: we have been warned to be more vigilant and i have greater security but we live in a time where there are increasing threats against people in public service and it is sad. our country was founded on the principle that we do not believe in violence to solve political disagreements. whether you are a republican watching, democrat, independent, and whether you want to vote for me or against or for the

president or against, i hope we can come around -- come together around the principle that there is no place for violence in american society and in american politics. host: after traumatic events, often the rallying cry is -- never again. do you think what happened a year ago today could never happen again? guest: i hope so. i think we are better prepared. ultimately, in a democracy, the decision is with the citizenry and what we need is for americans to figure out how to heal some of the tears in

i wish i had more time. it is how i feel every day. host: thank you so much for

joining us on this interactive show, "getting answers." we will be here every day tonight, one year since the attack on the capitol. president biden singling out former president trump. president biden saying, we must absolutely be clear what is true and what is a lie, saying the former president, quote, created and spread a web of lies about the election. that his bruised ego was more important than our democracy, our constitution. and the president said, as the nation and the world watched the horror unfold, what we didn't see. president biden saying the former president was in his private dining room, off the oval office, watching it all, doing nothing to stop it. when lives were at risk, when the capitol was under attack. also tonight, the unexpected moment today on the house floor. former vice president dick cheney next to his daughter,