to your blood sugar? at kaiser permanente all of us work together to care for all that is you. >> building a better bay area. moving forward. finding solutions. this is abc7 news. ♪ i'm kristen sze. you are watching "getting answers" on abc7. every day, we talk with experts about issues important to the bay area and we get answers for you in real time.

today, to visit or not visit? that is the question my way tourists in the wake of the wildfires. we will talk with a native hawaiian organization to get its perspective. also yosemite lodging is hard to come by but an exclusive group of cabins is available only if you are an important san francisco official. the san francisco standard will be here to look at a sweet perk and its origins. up 81% in california over the past month, and the test positivity rate is up to 13.2% now. could or should people test, grab masks again? that the new booster coming out in a few weeks? we are joined by dr. peter chin

hong. nice to have you on the show. so, looking at those figures, is this a surge? does it qualify? >> it's not really a surge by the numbers. to give you some perspective, at ucsf we have 25 patients in the four hospitals with covid. that's compared to 100 during the winter surge, as we called it. i think it's not moving in the right direction. we are waiting for it to crest. it has not yet. kristen: how do we know about these figures at all? hospitalizations, i get. in terms of the overall numbers, so few people are testing now, how do we trust the figures? >> the best information we have is not like before. it is the wastewater numbers. if people look at the california department of public health, you

can look at the wastewater in your region. in san francisco, it's going all the way up -- kristen: are you still there? >> yes. kristen: great. what's driving the increases? the mu variants -- the new variants? >> people getting together, traveling in record numbers, gathering indoors, with the record heat we have been having, we immunity and also -- weakened immunity. kristen: can i ask you about the new variants? are they kind of the same in terms of what we are used to, in terms of the severity or symptoms? >> yes. they are just like the symptoms people know about, runny nose, stuffy nose, headache, body aches, sore throat, cuo --

throat, cough. they are not different because they are all omicron still. until we get a new variant, people are looking at the same symptoms. they may be very mild in some people. kristen: i want to focus on children and teens. there is a rise in hospitalizations for that group, right? >> yes, particularly in the southeast of the u.s. where a lot of people are getting infected, more than the rest of the country. when you have a lot of people getting infected, people including kids tend to be hospitalized more. that's what we are seeing in that part of the country in particular. kristen: looking at our neck of the woods, do you think kids should start wearing masks voluntarily in some situations maybe? i know schools are not mandating that. it looks like they probably won't. what do you think people should do? >> i

the lowest hanging fruit. if the kid is immune compromised or has a history of congenital heart disease or lung disease, or even a history of brain disease, that might be the population you might be a little bit more careful about. kids can get remdesivir. but they cannot get paxlovid under the age of 12. that is another issue to think about for parents. kristen: ok. but you think it's ok for most kids to go to school at this point, being in a classroom with no mask? >> yes. kristen: what if they have some minor symptoms like a sore throat, they may be feel a little sick, should you give them a covid test or should you not worry about it and assume it is a cold hands on them to school? >> i think for right now given what's going around, it probably will be prudent to stay home or keep the kid home when they are sick.

we know that it doesn't cause as much impact in kids compared to older adults, but it can be very disruptive, particularly because teachers can get ill, staff in the schools can get ill. you want to lower the odds. we are not going for 0% chance but we want to decrease the risk. kristen: i guess this is the ethical/moral question here, where people go, should we test? with a sore throat, i might go to work or school, but if i test positive for covid, i'm going to feel like i can't go. how are you advising people? perhaps you are not, on these kinds of struggles. >> it is hard because testing comes with a price tag now. sometimes they are not even available in some drugstores. i would say if all else fails, there's one thing that is still trusty which is the mask. if you have any symptoms and you still need to go out,

you can't get that test yet, wearing a mask and protect the rest of the community -- can protect the rest of the community. kristen: since the increase is happening now, should be able a booster now or wait for the updated booster as the cdc is suggesting, coming out in three weeks? >> the timeline has been moved up a little bit from the end of september to mid september because the cdc actually set a date to meet, which is september 12. if you are immune compromised, older than 65, have not gotten boosted or infected in the last six months, you should probably go ahead and get it. i'm not sure what the distribution will be like exactly. for everybody else, you can wait. of course, if the numbers go up, that risk calculus may change. i still think it is ok for the vast majority of folks to wait. kristen: can you talk about how

you would set up shots for this fall? we have the flu shot coming up, too, some people might want to get the rsv shot. >> convenience is everything. if you are in the drugstore and they have it, go ahead and get it. i would do flu and covidtogether if possible . for those older than 60, talk to your clinician about rsv. think about that is a different discussion. flu and covid are number one and number two in terms of the impact on health. i would probably address those sooner rather than later. the timing -- anytime before thanksgiving, sorry, halloween for both shots if possible,. anytime is better than no time. kristen: i don't want to talk about another big headline today. that is was quickly becoming the miracle drug, ozempic.

researchers think it can help people not only lose weight but also fight different types of addiction now? like alcohol and cigarettes. tell me about that. >> gambling online yes, the reason why is it probably lowers the dopamine spike in the brain that is responsible for learning and addiction. so not just for eating, but all these other behaviors as well. that have been good studies showing a 50% decrease, but not as much human studies yet -- animal studies showing a 50% decrease but not as much human studies yet. really interesting. [indiscernible] affected by this class of drugs called glp1. kristen: real quickly, can you get your doctor to prescribe it

to you for that purpose yet, if you say i want to kick my alcohol addiction? >> no, at this point, we other drugs that can do that. i'm saying in the future, it will probably have a benefit for those people. with all of these common addictive behaviors, because of the part of the brain that is affected. but the results are really intriguing and probably there will be a role for that in the future. kristen: i think we are setting to lose your signal so we will leave it there. thank you so much for your time today. now, if you're w the most of your coronavirus cases are in the bay area, take a look at updated covid data updated daily on our website, abc7news.com. next, maui has just begun a journey to recovery that will cost billions of dollars and take years. so what role will tourism play on that effort?

ahead, a native hawaiian community group explains why it has shifted its stance on tourism. what they want you to

kristen: if you're not sure whether you should book a trip to maui, you're not alone. in the wake of the devastating wildfires, many hawaii residents and natives were going the same message, "don't come." no many others including businesses and the chamber of commerce are saying come. joining us to talk about the complicated issue is the organization's vice president. . thank you so much for joining us.

tell us about your organization and its mission. >> our organization is primarily about indigenous led conservation and social justice. we are typically not a disaster response. but when we saw what was happening, we immediately jumped into action, just to provide some immediate relief and support for people on the ground. kristen: the media coverage is starting to dissipate but the work to recover certainly is not going away. can you sum up the situation right now, the greatest needs and challenges? >> sure. urban search-and-rescue have recently completed their work. as everybody knows, this was a very hot fire. unfortunately hundreds of people are still missing. urban search and rescue very diligent going through with dogs to try to look for the remains of individuals. we are trying to move into the

epa phase one, hazardous waste removal. it is moving as quickly as it can under the circumstances. they are just starting to move into some of that. kristen: i know a lot ofkristen: -- kristen: i know a lot of people won't have their homes or jobs to come home to for a long time. in the aftermath of the fires, in the days after, they encouraged tourists to not travel to maui. here's your instagram post that says "do not travel to maui." it did not seem to read like a temporary message, like don't come this week. it really felt more long-lasting than that. now there seems to be a change. there's a more recent post from your group that says to the visitors who have decided to go to maui, this message is for you. that feels different. . what's changed? >> i think i've spoken about this and other interviews. in the immediate aftermath,

we put up the original post within one or two days of the fire, the nature of this particular disaster is so substantial and great, that we really needed tourists to not get in the way of that immediate recovery. urban search-and-rescue just completed their work. it's taken weeks because of the number of people who were in the area and affected and possibly lost. the day after this, there was a scuba diving group that went out, when there were still pulling people out of the water -- bodies out of the water. i think the message was, you absolutely should not come because tourists were very much starting to get in the way of rescue and recovery efforts. now that we have sorta been able to better assess the impacts, and sort of the extent of the damage, i definitely think people need to be very mindful about going to west maui because that is where a lot of displaced residents are being housed. that is where a lot of relief workers are being housed. for other parts of maui, that

have space and resources for visitors available, i think there, those are appropriate places to come if you come with the right attitude. that's really very critical, too. kristen: or go to the mountains which are beautiful. but most people just head -- -- just head straight to the beach. >> maybe not upcountry. they are doing cleanup there now. that's exactly the thing we want people t think of and be mindful of. kristen: in addition to the page that said if you decide to travel here this is what you should keep in mind, if we go to the next one, these are the things you want tourists to come with, solace, empathy and compassion. how can the express that -- they expressed that? >> you don't want to be going

on drunken binges, letting loose. i was there last week. the person who checked me into my hotel in south maui had lost their home. he had just found out two days before he had a family member perish in the fire he was still at work. knowing that everybody's been affected by this and people are suffering. people are traumatized. so again, patients, very patient. knowing that people are very shortstaffed. be very generous. there are many fundraisers and opportunities to help. also know the person helping you may have had a spouse that lost their job. they may be carrying the income response abilities for an entire family now. please come generously and patiently and with empathy. if you can do that, you would be very welcomed to the appropriate parts of maui right now. kristen: please do tell me if i'm not characterizing this

right, i think it's fair to say the local people have long had a love-hate relationship with tourism. i wonder as maui recovers, begins a new chapter, how do you see its future with tourism? is it less of it? a different kind of tourism? what do you see? >> i very much hope it is a different kind of tourism. we want people who share our love of the environment. our love of culture, our kindness towards other people. people come to hawaii because we are known for having the aloha spirit, but it is two ways. we want people who come also with that spirit in their hearts and can share that with the people they are engaging with. tourists that are just demanding and entitled, we absolutely don't need people like that coming to hawaii, frankly. kristen: thank you so much. that was a really insightful conversation. i really appreciate you taking the time to do it.

and all the work you are doing right now. coming up next, certain san francisco city employees have access to an exclusive part of yosemite that is off limits to you and me. our media partner, the san francisco standard, will join us to tell us mor

you're making the most of every hour of your life. except the hours that you're sleeping. so why do we leave so much untapped potential on the table?

this is a next level bed, for a next level you. my circadian rhythm is kicking your circadian rhythms butt! it's not a competition. i know, but i'm still winning! so, it is a competition. save 50% on the sleep number® limited edition smart bed. plus, 60-month financing on all smart beds. shop now only at sleep number®. kristen: yosemite's one of the country's national parks. the san francisco standard just published an article about an exclusive vacation spot in yosemite that is reserved for certain san francisco city officials. joining us live now is seen a reporter at the standard, josh kane. good to see you. francisco has a city cabins in an area of yosemite. tell us where it is and how the

city got that exclusive access to the area. >> yes, so, there are two cabins -- and cottages is what they call them, and a bunkhouse. the sleep between five and seven for the cottages and up to 16 people for the bunkhouse. the creation of these overnight facilities that are as you said exclusively available to elected officials and some city employees and officials, they go back to the creation of the dam, the o'shaughnessy dam, named after the chief engineer. a little over a century ago, they began work on this project to basically create a reservoir that is now the water source for about 2.5 billion people in the bay area. kristen: that's right next to the reservoir, where san francisco it gets its water. san francisco -- where san francisco gets its water. doesn't involve taxpayer money

-- does it involved taxpayer money? >> basically this is funded with taxpayer money. it is a very exclusive perk. it is one several supervisors have taken advantage of. the convicted former head of the public utilities commission was a frequent guest. we compiled a list of everyone who has stayed there since the beginning of 2018. we asked the question, why is it only city officials have this benefit? not anyone could really answer it. is just been kind of something they give exclusive access to. to our facilities nearby -- there are facilities nearby. but this is literally, you are talking about a short stroll out the door and you are right on the water. it is a very beautiful preserve. it's something we felt people might want to know, hey, this is where some of your taxpayer dollars are going, this is who is staying there, this is someplace that you cannot stay

yourself. kristen: i have so many questions. do they have to pay anything themselves when they book it? are there any limits as to how many nights they can have each year? >> yeah. it's not like everybody gets to stay there for a month and they just come back with a 10. there's a limited amount of time you can stay there. you have app for a lottery earlier in the year. they basical, these are the dates that we are giving to you. if you want it, say yes. it costs about 250-3 $150 and i -- $250 to $350 a night. you can sleep up to 16 people there. if you are talking about $350 a night, that is an absolute steal. because the closest lodgings we could find, the lodge rate -- right by yosemite national park, the single bedrooms start at $520 a night. kristen:

so many people here and that is right there at the water. what are officials telling you about this perk? that you talk to anybody? what did they say? >> there's no shaman the game. this is a perk. they take advantage of it. i'm very happy that i have the ability to do so. [laughter] they are just straightforward about it. a lot of people say there's a benefit to it because there's a lot of history there, when it comes to our water source and the ingenuity that was involved in creating the dam, which was really a 20 year project. is quite impressive. however sometimes there's not necessarily a smoking gun or scandal in some of these stories that i write. it's more, i thought this was interesting, wouldn't you like to know how your city taxpayer dollars get used? kristen: when you set officials, who qualifies? it can't just be a regular worker.

do you have to be a certain level? supervisor? what? >> you need to either work for the public utilities commission, serving on the regional water agency or you need to be an elected official. but if you are just a standard joe schmoe -- nothing against joe schmoe's. but if you are just a regular city employer, this is not for you. it doesn't really matter where you work, to get access to these cabins. kristen: do you know if other places -- of other places in california where there is this type of arrangement? >> there have been other -- i did ask the mayor's office about this, do you know about any other city perks? there used to be exclusive access to 49ers tickets, when they were still playing at candlestick. there have been stories written in the past about exclusive access to the fire chief's mansion. when i asked about, is there anything you can say is really

analogous to the cabins? they didn't have anything that popped right away to mind. this does seem to be a long-standing and very unique perk. kristen: but to see. we would -- good to you didn't choose your hairline. hot flashes, the flu, or that thing when your knee just gives out for no reason. you didn't choose your bad back or this. or... that. you didn't choose depression, melanoma, or lactose intolerance. but with kaiser permanente you can choose your doctor who works with other best-in-class specialists to care for all that is you. ♪ thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for adults with hr+/her2- metastatic breast cancer

as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole. ibrance may cause low white blood cell counts that may lead to serious infections. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs. both of these can lead to death. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening chest pain, cough, or trouble breathing. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. for more information about side effects talk to your doctor. be in your moment. ask your doctor about ibrance.

kristen: thank you so much for joining us today for "getting answers." i'll see you back here at 4:00. tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. the new track just in, the u.s. bracing for this major hurricane. set to slam into florida within hours. hurricane idalia gaining strength at this hour. a slight shift to the track in the most recent forecast. when it's now set to hits