>>building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> high there i am you're watching getting answers live on abc seven. every day we talk about issues important to the bay area. and we give you answers in real time. california congressman ted new is the next democratic chair of the caucus making him the highest ranking chair in congress. he will join us for sharing his and ensuring each young patient receives every gift of the

holidays. the ceo of ronald mcdonald house explains the need and how you can help. and pfizer's flu and covid vaccine combo gets a fast track. and in several counties masks are required. for low and medium community levels as defined by the cdc. joining us to discuss the triple dimmick news is dr. moll and otto is nice to -- triple epidemic news. is a doctor. are you getting frustrated at hospitals? what are you seeing? >> the triple dimmick five times higher than the number of patients we saw before

the pandemic. it is are tired. i think we are doing ok, we are -- it is just one more thing to deal with. >> i know the numbers started to shoot straight up after a week after thanksgiving. now with christmas coming up, do you expect a dip or will it continue to climb in an upward trajectory? >> it's hard to know because with the pandemic routine infection patterns are completely disrupted. but what i do see is that the rsv and flu appearances started off eight weeks earlier than they normally do. i am hoping that means they will end early as well. we do not know. we are seeing a down tick in rsv and flu.

just a tiny bit. i do not know if it is this week or if it will continue to come down. if you look beyond the bay area and within the country and the wastewater data we are still high in numbers. the numbers for example in wastewater are at the same that they were during omicron. we are just better with immunities. so that we are not dealing with covid. both flu and rsv are way up there. >> thankfully because of our immunity not as many illnesses as you may think. when you look at the levels. but still flu and rsv. given that can you tell us that you are starting to cancel elective surgeries? dr. maldonado: we are assessing it on a day-to-day basis. in the children's hospital and other places around the country. we know how to handle surgeries very well. any disease that may come along,

but we know how to do is put protocols in place to check every day for where we are and what we think we can do. trying to ensure that everybody is as safe as possible. for example, if we have enough beds for our surgical patients the next day we are good to go. we urgently, have not had to do many cancellations. but we are ready to do so if we need to. but i am excited that we have been able to maintain our planning and protocols in place so we are ready for any potential uptick if it should happen even more than we have right now. >> let's say you have a cough right now. so many people do. how can you tell which illness you have? dr. maldonado: i had a mild cough earlier this week and i kept testing and it was negative for covid. you cannot tell. you do not know what you have. that is the bane of our

existence. that is why we never tracked viruses before because we -- you don't really know what you have and you cannot do anything about prevention or treatment for mother -- most of these. but we do have ways to figure out what our risk is. we know what to do with masking, hand hygiene, all the things to do to prevent disease. we have vaccines for the flu and covid. we want to take advantage of those. and if you're sick and you have a cough and you think it is a mild problem, then i would either stay home or go to the work -- go to work, but consider wearing a mask. i know that it is kind of against the grain now but it keeps other people say. if they are feeling sick they will infect other people around them. >> that's a good point and

speaking of masking i want to pull up the cdc tracker map. a lot of people have not looked at this in a long time. but in the bay area counties you have some counties in the green. santa clara county is high they are. santa cruz also yellow you have alameda, solano, which is medium. and that means doctor, that they set up a press reese -- release that masks are required in jails, heating cooling centers, but not in schools. i'm wondering if this is still useful. is it accurate that people -- since people do not home test anymore? dr. maldonado: if anything it is more of a risk because we are just getting the results from the people that are testing there may be more out there. and with wastewater testing, i have my mask and then when i go

down the hallway if i'm in a group, i love going out we have to go to work every day we have to see our patients. we want to ensure that we will not infect other people. there are still a number of people over one million at least that have compromised individuals out there who may not respond well to the vaccine. we are seeing that the antiviral -- are not going to work well i guess this particular variant of omicron. so we want to be careful around other people. and if you're walking down an empty hallway it is one thing, but if you will be in a crowd and you have a tickling your throat or a cough, there is nothing wrong with putting a mask on to protect your colleagues. i think those numbers look pretty real. they are probably higher than what you see because we are not reporting this.

>> big news fast-track the combination flu covet vaccine. what is that mean? when people hear -- covid vaccine. what is that mean. --? when people hear that they think it may not be safe. dr. maldonado: what we are seeing with this data and based on the date of a use for the primary series kids can now -- under five can get a dose of moderna and the bilayer -- bivalent booster. this is more protection against omicron than the original vaccine. we know the virus is mutating. the vaccine is still given as a bivalent primary series. the moderna is two doses. primary. the pfizer is three doses primary. so the bivalent can be given

a primary, but later on, they will both likely be available for a booster use for everyday use. right now you can give six-month-old child a bivalent booster. you need to keep the protection old. most of us were vaccinated a while ago. the antibodies are starting to wear off. it will be important to keep them protected. unfortunately, we see less than 10% uptick in children especially less than five. i think people do not take it very seriously, but it is another piece we worry we will have to take care of later. >> i have heard that there are some predictions that by next year we will settle into a combination covid and flu vaccine and we will just get it next year. do you think that will be the schedule? dr. maldonado:

we are not seeing the highest level of serious hospitalizations and deaths but we still see 2200 deaths a day. though by a year from now, hoping all goes well, we did not see another new mutation like we saw with omicron a year ago. but we may even see a combination flu covid vaccine like you said. and we can learn how to live with this virus and get protected and make sure we do not get highly infectious strains out there. mutations as well as increased transmissibility. we want to keep everyone healthy. but we need to recognize that the virus may be around for some time. >> it was great talking with you doctor. thank you so much. dr. maldonado: thank you. stay healthy. >> representative ted lieu will join us in his history making journey and the changes h

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>> the asian american pacific island community is growing and demanding a bigger political voice. that will begin in the congress in january. the house has chosen congressman ted lieu making him the highest -- asian american lawmaker in congress. he is here to point us to talk about his role and how his influence and heritage has shaped his views. thank you for joining us on the show. ted: thank you for having me back. >> vice chair in the caucus is the number four position, right? ted: were not sure what ranking

order it is but i am a senior leadership. as cerner -- i serve with senior leadership. >> it is a whole new generation of leadership. your colleagues are on record saying they voted for your coalition skills but do you think that there is also reference therefore asian americans? ted: absolutely. my colleagues have noticed the importance of the asian american community. if you look at the u.s. consensus reports asian americans, pacific islanders, and hawaiians are the fasting group in america doubling in size. and a new report shows asian americans are projected to be the largest immigrant group by 2055. >> how do you plan to use that to meet the needs and priorities as you see them of the american community? ted: we elected a team that

reflects the dividers city -- diversity of america. we want to have asian americans at the table to make sure that the policies at the caucus reflects the values of the asian american community and stops harmful things against the community. we saw a steady rise of hate crimes for example during the pandemic. it was not helpful with the foreign pairs of it -- foreign president using phrases like come flu --kung and things like that. we want to make sure it never happens again. >> can you tell us about your background? ted: my families were poor. they would go to flea markets to sell to make ends meet. i remember going to these flea markets making sure people would not take things without paying for them. i never thought i would be a member of congress in house

leadership. it shows the genius of the constitution and the durability of the american dream. >> when you talk about the what the former president said did you find yourself facing slurs growing up? did you face stereotypes that you had to fight? ted: yes. growing up kids would call me names every now and then. people would throw eggs at our home. it was not physically violent toward me but i was made to feel not welcome. it was something i have always remembered. ted: how do you think that is reflected in your priorities as a lawmaker? ted: i inclusive and we represent everyone in america. when you move the american family forward you also lose -- move the asian american family the african-american family and hispanic families forward. it is the idea that we have to

include everyone in america regardless of gender, skin color, or any other attribute. >> you went to stanford for undergrad. i will forgive you because i went to cal it is ok. i think georgetown law. you became a lawyer. then you joined the air force as a military prosecutor? ted: that is correct or served active duty in the air force and then i entered the marine reserves. >> did that fuel your drive to be part of the process? ted: i realized at some point during high school that my parents i had achieved the american -- they had achieved the american dream. they gave my mother -- brother and i a great education. my brother is a doctor and my parents remind me of that by the way. but their wedding -- one of the reasons i joined the air force is being an active duty i wanted to get back to the country and everything the amazing country has given to us. it is something i wanted to to

-- wanted to do to get back to this amazing country. >> i know that you were chosen as a house impeachment manager in donald trump trial. investigators are still investigating the january 6 insurrection and his role in it. and the documents he took with him to mar-a-lago. are you confident that any criminal accountability will happen especially with republicans can trolling -- controlling the house come january? ted: i am ucb doj issui subpoenas and a special counsel appointed. and i do believe investigation will continue. this is of the federal level there is also state investigations into the former president did. you cannot pressure for secretary of state of georgia and try to make him fine 11,000

votes. that is not legal. you cannot do that. you cannot engage in a conspiracy to come up with fake electors to overturn the will of the people when you lose the election. i believe these illegal acts will have enough evidence for the former president to be indicted. again, i do not have all the evidence as the professionals and prosecutors. we will see what they come up with. >> kevin mccarthy will likely become the house speaker already promising investigations for hunter biden and bidens withdraw from afghanistan. are you worried not much may get accomplished in the next two years with the split congress and bitter divisions? ted: for the sake of our country, i hope that house republicans moderate and work with democrats on reducing inflation. making sure we help american families. unfortunately, it looks like they want to pursue really stupid things like investigate hunter biden's laptop.

things that most americans do not care about. i hope that does not happen we will see what happens in the new cycle. and hopefully we can work with republicans to move the american family forward. >> thank you so much for your time. ted: thank you. >> coming up next want to be a holiday helper this year? we have a way for you to do it. the ronald mcdonald house is on a mission to

>> this holiday season the ronald mcdonald house needs your help. the charities comfort and joy toy drive is underway aiming to spread cheer to families of sick children like this one. >> the rounded big donald house made it feel like home. many of them dressed like an elf. they provided us food. >> we had a wonderful thanksgiving and christmas out there. cliques joining us live to tell us how we can contribute is

laura keegan woodrow the ceo of run omits auto -- ronald mcdonald in the >> i was going to say we are raking hard to make the holiday special for kids and families who are in the hospital at this holiday time across the bay area right now. >> it is a big task because how many locations in the bay area do you have and how many children are you needing to serve? laura: we are serving our hospital partners at stanford children's hospital, ucf benny children in san francisco and oakland, and we are supporting ucsf satellite clinics throughout the east bay. for the first time. we are seeing a 150% increase in how many toys we deliver this year. >> how many toys is that in

terms of the actual number? >> we hope to deliver 10,000 toys this year. >> you do not have a lot of time. you have less than two weeks. i want to ask you how you are going about doing this. laura: we cannot do what we do without our incredibly generous community. there is so many ways that community is helping out. we have a wonderful comfort and joy drive going on. we have toy shops in the bay area. you can donate toys and care items directly to us. you can have your kids set up and or and organizer troy drive or fundraiser for the work -- organize a toy drive for the fundraiser. or you can make donations and we do the shopping for you. it is a fun way to support families and feel good this holiday season. >>

that know about your work why they should roll up their sleeves and pitch in. for those that are unfamiliar talk about how important of a role the ronald mcdonald house plays for families with children going through an illness. laura: when your child is sick there is nothing else that matters. we are here to take care of the everyday burdens people are going through. this year alone we provide about 24,000 overnight stays in our houses. we will serve about 100,000 meals to families on -- there is nothing like having a hot meal available when you get home from a very hard day at the hospital. just providing that comfort and care and taking care of whatever financial emotional burdens you have so people can focus on their sick child. clicks i imagine with your year-round work and financial donations are always helpful. for those who want to give a toy, a little more advice.

what if they do not have time to shop? what kind of items are you looking for? laura: if you go to our website at you are welcome to drop them off. and you can periods the house a little bit. you can also make direct monetary donations. and we could do the shopping for you. >> in terms of buying an actual gift and dropping them off, do you need them to be wrapped? >> we have volunteers on site who are wrapping gifts. you can bring them by. if you're interested in volunteering we have volunteer opportunities to come in and wrap gifts. clicks that is a nice thing to do as well. what about the age group of the

children you're serving? >> we serve all age groups. infant to teens. and we could always use gifts for teens. we also want to give gifts to parents as well so we run the whole gambit of age ranges. and the list are on our website so it is an easy way to figure out what we need. >> thank you so much laura. here is the information for those who want to get involved in the comfort and joy of the holiday toy drive. remember, you can get the live newscast and breaking news and weather and more with the abc 7 streaming whether app. streaming whether app. it is available on amazon fire i was hit by a car and needed help. streaming whether app. it is available on amazon fire i called the barnes firm. that was the best call i could've made. i'm rich barnes. it's hard for people to know how much their accident case is let our injury attorneys know he how much their accident cget the best result possible.

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clicks thank you for joining us we are getting answers today we will be here everyday at three answering tonight, we're tracking several storms as we come on the air, threatening millions. one hitting parts of the northeast tonight. the other from the west all the way east. several feet of snow in some places. snow already tonight in northern california, parts of the northwest would get up to 8 feet of snow. ss theoudryth nstgh lrdyriinghis snow.95 corridor, rob marciano timing it all out for us. tonight, the political bombshell in -- -- arizona senator kyrsten sinema revealing she is leaving the democratic party, that she'll now be an independent. so, what does this mean just days after democrats celebrated their 51-49 majority? will she still vote for

president biden's