>> voting a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. kristen: you are watching "getting answers." live on abc 7, who live in wherever you stream. we ask experts your questions everyday at 3:00 to get answers in real time. we are looking ahead to lunar new year, the year of the tiger. the director of the chinese new year parade will be joining us to talk about the return of this fun, an important celebration to san francisco. we will share with you a discussion we had on our midday live program about the controversy after governor newsom and san francisco mayor were pictured at the super bowl -- i'm sorry, the nfc championship game and they were not wearing masks. the governor responded today.

his action comes as doctors are urging the state mask mandate for schoolkids be dropped. new estimates on when the kids under five may be able to get a covid vaccine. joining us to discuss these issues, san francisco. attrition dr. yes ugo fukuda who is also the california district chair of the american academy of pediatrics. thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. kristen: i want to start with the big picture. it appears we are seeing a dramatic drop in california in covid cases and positivity rate. is that an indication the omicron wave is over? >> we are hoping for that. i am a general pediatrician in san francisco. certainly there has been discussion about following the numbers. i also want to look at the big picture. we don't just live in a microcosm. across the nation, as part of the american academy of pediatrics, we are monitoring this closely.

we know that we want kids to be back in school. we know it is good for them to continue their education, to be out with their friends and doing their activities, but we want to do it as safely as possible. kristen: speaking of that, there is more talk about vaccine for the youngest kids, the under five's, and that when -- and when that may be coming. the former pfizer board member dr. scott gottlieb says the vaccine for kids under five could come earlier than expected. how early are we talking about, what do you think is the timeline? >> i would love if it would come early. my patients would be ecstatic. i think the issue is ensuring that the third dose that they have found, children from two to five need, i'm sure they are analyzing the data, we want to make sure any vaccine that is recommended is safe and works. but it does offer protection. and i think the third dose has

been given to the study participants. i think they need to get blood tests to make sure their antibody levels are good and it has to be analyzed. my understanding is late spring. but we will see. i think it is important not to rush the process. we want to make sure that what we present is good data and that it works. kristen: this more optimistic earlier timeline, i think gottlieb was saying possibly early march, is that based on possibly keeping to the two dose, even if it is a little less effective than they would have hoped but same -- saying well, it is offering baseline protection and we will take it, if that speeds up the timeline? dr. fukuda: my understanding from the national experts in the american academy of pediatrics is having every two week updates for us, is that it is -- and my understanding is going to be a frito series. kristen: ok.

let's talk about this. the moderna vaccine got full approval from the fda, it had emergency use authorization before. is that important at all? does it move the needle in terms of policy or vaccination rate or anything? dr. fukuda: i think as the vaccines get full fda approval, then we can consider our recommendations for boosters. as we know, five to six months after your initial two series, the recommendation is to get a booster. and i think all of this is in the interest of making sure everyone is protected as best we can, so we can keep communities safe. kristen: also tonight, novavax, that vaccine, they have applied to the fda for authorization. that is a u.s. biotech company. the vaccine has been used in a few other countries, mainly in asia. how is this one different? is it needed here?

dr. fukuda: i'm sorry, i don't know about that particular company. i know the details of the pfizer, in particular, because i knew that was coming. i'm sorry, i cannot answer that. kristen: that's ok. we probably won't be needing it, even in this country. but they did apply for authorization. i want to talk about governors across the country seem to be saying we need to learn to live with this, it is time to manage this like an end i make rather than a pandemic. do you agree with that and what does that mean to you if we were to start thinking of it as an endemic now? dr. fukuda: i think two years is a long time for us to be in this pandemic. understandably, we want a vision for the future. we are in a different place than when this pandemic started. we have vaccinations and by the way, statistics show in

california, five to 11 who have gotten their doses, 35%. if we can get everyone vaccinated, if we can make sure that we keep everyone safe, for now, the masking is recommended by the american academy of pediatrics. i think the issue is for everyone to be responsible, not to go to school or work or anywhere sick. to get vaccinated, to protect ourselves as much as we can. as the situation changes, i think what is important that we agree -- that we reassess and look at what is the state of covid-19 and how is the virus changing, we don't know what the variance will be like. there are some unknowns. i guess i caution patients, i firmly believe that we will be moving forward, and we just don't want to do that without

understanding better and not go too fast. kristen: tomorrow, san francisco drops the indoor mask mandate for stable cohorts. let's talk about your specialty, kids. if they are in a classroom all day, you can definitely say that is a stable cohort. over five's's can get vaccinated now. if san francisco is making the move to make it optional, do you think by extension, it is time to make it optional for school settings? dr. fukuda: i think again, we have to be cautious. think we have to follow what is the science. and not jump to conclusions. i think we are not quite at that place to be able to completely say not to mask. i think it is a community safety issue. as of now, the national guidelines are really to not drop that mask mandate at this time. kristen: is san francisco

jumping the gun tomorrow? dr. fukuda: san francisco, sure their public health department is also monitoring it carefully, as has happened in the past. if there are patterns that start to appear again, i'm sure they will be looking at policies. kristen: what i'm asking is, because i hear a lot of parents bringing this up. if i can go to a gym with a stable cohort, is in the same people who are vaccinated, working out together, why does my child have to wear their mask if the child is vaccinated in the classroom with a stable group of kids? what is the difference? parents hear the outcomes are better for children. should they catch covid. is that not the case? dr. fukuda: as of now, that is not. what we are advocating for, to catch covid, it is not like the past chickenpox parties we had before. the hospitalizations of children are continuing to rise. the data from september to

january, i think it was 18 from the national academy, showed 7000 children that were hospitalized with covid, and the data was on the rise still. i understand the sentiment. i think that we are being very cautious in terms of our recommendation. as of now, the national academy is in agreement that we should have universal masking at this time. kristen: definitely physical health is paramount. i wonder as a pediatrician, do you see any social or mental impact on children, for two years of adhering to these rules and protocol, and what are you seeing? dr. fukuda: absolutely. physically, mentally, socially, from nutrition and exercise and activities that are so important for children. the social interactions they should have and be able to

develop as children are very important. mental health is a big concern for us as pediatricians, and we talk to children every day from young to those in teenage and college. they have been so impacted. i think this is a very important issue that we continue to address. kristen: dr. yasuko fukuda, the california district chair of the american academy of pediatrics, thank you very much for your time and insight. appreciate the conversation. dr. fukuda: thank you. everybody, hold on, we are going into the year of the tiger. kristen: tiger is strong. we are going to be strong together. dr. fukuda: absolutely. let's be strong together. kristen: thank you so much. we will be right back. speaking of the year of the

kristen: the lunar new year begins tomorrow. today is new year's eve. the bay area is ready to celebrate the year of the tiger. it is an exciting time for san francisco's chinatown which is looking forward to the festivities returning this year after a tough struggle do it -- due to the pandemic. joining us to talk about the celebrations is the director of the chinese new year festival and parade. thank you for coming on. happy new year. so exciting to bso exciting that. this is going to be a big celebration like two weeks long, culminating in the big parade on february 19. i want you to walk us through the exciting festivities coming up, leading up to that point. a lot, righ? -- right?

>> definitely the last celebration in san francisco was our 2020 chinese new year parade. after that, the city shut down to the pandemic. after two years of unwanted hibernation, we are finally waking up and coming back for a big celebration. we are so happy. hopefully it will be the bert -- the first big celebration for the city to be having this year. we talk about the events. chinese chamber of commerce has seven or eight events, and we have the following market fair which happened this weekend. it was hundreds, thousands of people in chinatown. we found reporting that it had been sold out. kristen: we were there, got some video. it was incredible. the flower mart this past weekend, i think there is a street fair, there is the

especially decorated cable car. tell us about the tiger on parade, the sculptures. harlan: definitely. as you mentioned earlier, in 2021, we did not have a parade. we had a virtual broadcast of a parade, not an in person parade. i added a new event to a celebration. that is the ax on parade. we have sculptures to go and in -- go and enjoy. following that success, we followed it with the tiger parade. i can see on your screen, you have one of our warriors tigers. but was at the city plaza. we have six tigers displayed around the city, and the warrior tiger is the proud one because they have warrior friends that are very enthusiastic.

it receives a lot of attention. a lot of people take pictures with it. i want everyone to know that we are having a photo contest attached to this event. anybody, take a picture, with any one of the six tigers, tag us on tiger on parade. we will enter you into a photo contest, and you are entitled to win a limited edition tiger t-shirt and a tiger mask. kristen: i should do that. and mercifully my producer took that photo of me off looking all silly. it was very special to be able to do that. tell us about the tiger, its place in the zodiac, its significance and symbolism. harlan: sure. we all know tigers are very brave, confident, energetic, and they love a challenge. all of the attributes that we need to conquer this pandemic.

kristen: this is very auspicious. you are right, for perfect timing as we hopefully put an end to the pandemic. i know it has been hard for the businesses in chinatown in terms of restaurants, shopping. this is bringing people back and it is great. tell us about the parade. anything different with the floats? i'm hearing rumors about a star wars presence. what is going on there? harlan: exactly. i mentioned earlier, i wanted a big comeback for the 2022 parade. for the first time in parade history, we will have a firework show at union square. this is the first time ever. as you mentioned a little bit earlier, we are going to have the parade unit for a galaxy far far away. kristen: wow. star wars, fireworks, you see the cable car especially decorated. i think that runs through february 20. harlan: that's right. kristen: that's awesome.

i want to ask you, how do you maintain covid safety? are there any requirements for either parade participants or attendees? harlan: definitely. we have health and safety protocols we follow. all the parade volunteers and the parade units must follow that protocol, which is they have to be vaccinated, or they can get testing, and they have to be wearing masks. masks is strongly encouraged, but we cannot enforce. especially because this is an outdoor event. kristen: right. after even, that in itself makes it safer. a great place for the whole family. it's free. i'm also reading something about eventbrite. do you need tickets or just show up? harlan: i'm sure you are aware that we have featured areas set up for ticketholders. unfortunately, my understanding is we have three different spots. one at union stand.

and the thing -- one at union square, i'm told they are sold out already. the only one available is section b, which is on sacramento. kristen: if you want to get more details about the alaska airlines chinese new year festival and parade, go to the website which has a very easy to remember web address, right? harlan: correct. chineseparade.com. kristen: that's it. harlan: chineseparade.com. i just want to make a correction. i made a mistake saying it is california" light. it is actually california and sacramento. kristen: ok. sounds good. it sounds amazing. all of the work you have put into it, it is a great celebration for the community, great for the city of san

francisco, and everyone can come from all over. family fun and so worthwhile. thank you so much. harlan: thank you for having me. kristen: see you soon. take care. harlan: bye-bye. kristen:

harlan: -- kristen: we want to bring you a segment that we featured on midday live. we discussed the news of the day and hour take. reggie, jobina and i tackled the criticism facing the governor and the same disco mayor, after both were spotted pictured at the 49ers-rams game without their masks on. here is our discussion. we want to know, do newsom and his actions concern you, yes or no? these photos were uploaded wered magic johnson's instagram account last night. there is mas -- magic johnson with the governor. here is the maynard -- the mayor of san francisco and los angeles with magic johnson. with them posing in a suite at sofi stadium, nobody is wearing

masks, but also if you watch the game, a lot of people with no masks. many people responded to the photos. . calling the leaders hypocritical governor newsom was asked about the photo and made the statement. governor newsom: of course, i was trying to be gracious. i was trying to be gracious and took the mask off for a brief second. kristen: so a few these rules are changing all the time. in california, masks are required indoors. some say this is an indoor space, some say it is outdoors. basically outdoors with a canopy . you can take them off if you are actively eating or drinking. they were posing for a picture. reggie: no masks in the sophia suite, i assume that means on february 15, we will get rid of the state mask mandate. instead local jurisdictions will decide on masks based on their hospitalization rates and the number of people who are locally vaccinated. sounds good to me. jobina: in addition to that, i

think this is just a testament to life changing and what is happening and how people are living. as a leader, it makes sense that you make rules that not only you think your constituents can live by, but that you can lift by. this is not the first time we have seen this debacle. including these two people we are talking about. yes, adjustments need to be made because look about entire stadium. i was watching the game last night. there were very few masks. kristen: right. to answer the question, does it concern you from the health standpoint, many doctors say look, if you are fully vaccinated, you have weighed your risk and can tolerate it. it's fine. post omicron search. keep in mind, you had to be vaccinated. there's that. but from the standpoint of, does it concern you from a leader modeling what they are asking everyone to do? that is the part that is more in

question. as you mentioned, there have been prior incidents, jazz club, all of that stuff. for those who are asking hey, why are my kids over five who have been vaccinated already still having to wear their masks all day in class if you can go to a super bowl party event unmasked, in you too are vaccinated? explain these seeming differences. you can point to nuances, the complexities that will be lost on people who are tired and angry and looking at the big picture. so there's that. reggie: i think the problem is the way the answer was created. kristen: yeah. jobina: it almost seems -- yes. i'm with you. that was my first time hearing the governor respond. the way he stopped short of saying, i don't know, mistake was the word or misstep, he stopped short of that. it is not really a mistake.

it is adjusting to where things probably should be at this point. so maybe the answer could have or should have been something to the effect of, adjustments are coming soon. reggie: that is exactly right. that was an opportunity to take us on that journey. instead, it was a -- no, let me explain. and i don't think that is going to work. kristen: he could not quite get there to say that yes, it is time to adjust. or it is a mistake in so much that it has not been adjusted yet, and i'm not modeling what i have asked people to do, but is it a mistake mistake? reggie: i didn't -- he had to know that question was coming. the headlines are everywhere. kristen:kristen: ok. reggie: 69%, newsom actions acto don't concern you. this is stunning to me. i'm surprised. this is not usually how our audience reacts. kristen: can we break that down

more from the health and medical health -- medical and health standpoint, or the modeling when you ask standpoint? reggie: either way, it is surprising. i think it suggests a movement in our audience and to where other people are too. that is what i'm guessing. jobina: definitely. kristen: that is very interesting. reggie: thank you for voting. kristen: two quick tidbits. we are not over the fact that we were not going to be at the super bowl. it was the nfc championship again. a little more about the governor's explanation. he said he unmasked for the photo saying "in my left hand is a mask and i took the photo. the rest of the time, i wore it,

kristen: thank you for joining us on this interactive show, tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. not again. this new winter storm now brewing from the middle of the country all the way east. and the news just in tonight, russia responding to the u.s. first tonight, right after that crippling nor'easter, now this new storm moving in quickly. winter alerts already up tonight across 17 states from texas all the way up to new york. up to a foot of snow expected in some areas. texas bracing for a potentially dangerous ice storm. nearly three feet of snow already in parts of massachusetts. rob marciano standing by to time out this new storm. also tonight, news on the pandemic. what the u.s. is now seeing in at least 40 states. and the states where icu beds are still scarce. and tonight, here in new york city, the new anti-viral drug to fight covid. they will nowel