anyway, chin chin-_ yes. - chin. it is christmas! yes, christmas _ chin. it is christmas!e early. services a new name, not six and the city anymore and so does that give us an idea of what this says is going to be like that it is called and just like that. . .. be like that it is called and just like that. . . .— be like that it is called and just like that. . .. yes, i think this is distancing _ like that. . .. yes, i think this is distancing itself— like that. . .. yes, i think this is distancing itself from _ like that. . .. yes, i think this is distancing itself from the - like that. . .. yes, i think this is i distancing itself from the original fantasyland of single girls dating in the city where the hbo series signed off and they are older and a different place and the lies and conversations are more serious this time around. they are dealing with the things that people deal with in their 50s and have to do a lot of love and also of loss. not going to spoil anything but it gets a little dark and i think some people might be surprised that.— dark and i think some peo

let's bring in peter chin hong. here he's a professor of medicine at the university of san francisco in of california in san francisco. good to see your doctor general. we're seeing rapidly rising on the crown infections here in europe is the rest of the world on a similar path. the rest of the world, terry is definitely on a similar passive, not worse. we have to fastenal seat belts for water will be a, a tremendous ride if you think about 3 things that will affect transmission and population previous immunity. we know that omicron is 5 times more likely to be to cause re infection than other variance vaccines. i have not had high uptake in many countries, owner round the world as low as 6 per cent, which may not protect and don't even think about boosters. and the 3rd at risk mitigation, lot of pandemic fatigue, lot of mass, not where it. so i think we're in for right here in europe, at least, and in the us as well. most governments are pushing people to get their 3rd vaccination, but will a booster be enough to g

peter chin hong thanks for talking with us. that was professor peter chin home at san francisco university, california, san francisco. my pleasure, terry. thank you. now to chile, which has elected a former student activist, become its next president, left us gabrielle burridge, who's just $35.00. defeated as far right rival antonia cost by a wide margin wider margin than expected orchard victory promises a shift toward more progressive policies and a generational change to ah, historic and jubilant victory. with 35 year old gabrielle. but it's chilly now, has its youngest ever president. he was helped to vote the barricade to take to the stage and recognized the people who have put him in power. the left wing fullness student leda had tapped into that anger at the country's economic model. and the inequality it has brought to when 56 percent of the vote. what is it again and i guarantee that i will be a president who cares for democracy and does not risk it. who listens more than he speaks, seeks unity, and attends to the need

doctor peter chin-hong remains hopeful for several reasons for one, he says hospitalizations here in the bay area still remain relatively low in 2. the omicron variant doesn't appear to be more severe in kids than previous trance between ucsf benioff children's hospitals in san francisco and oakland doctor chin-hong says a high of 15 children were hospitalized with covid in september compared to only 5 hospitalized now, at the end of december. however, if the bay area were to follow trends on the east coast. doctor chin-hong believes the surge would be short-lived maybe that we'll see acision kids here in area. that's more pronounced than what we have right now. >> but what we do know about omicron so far is that it believes in, but it also blazes out. so my feeling is. you know, we see that surge. it's going to end very quickly. it's not going to be like delta some of the other decisions we've seen in area to help prevent further spread, especially as we send students back to their classrooms after winter break. he says limiting gatherings wearing masks and taking extra safety preca

doctor peter chin-hong says there is some good news. so the lying about all of this is that so far at least when we look at cases outside of south africa, unlike in europe and the united states. most of the cases actually very mild. in fact, all the cases in the very mild people are home. nobody's in the hospital. doctor peter chin-hong says this new information reinforces the need to get vaccinated and boosted. >> as omicron. it won't be the last area we discover or hear about the omicron variant has now been reported in 3 california counties, one in san francisco. 5 in alameda and another in los angeles county live in the newsroom. i'm telling second reporting kron 4 news taylor, thank you. >> tonight the centers for disease control and prevention says that the vaccination rate of american children ages 5 to 11 is slower than it was for older american children. the cdc says just one month after becoming eligible only 16% of kids ages 5 to 11 have received their first dose of a covid-19 vaccine. that's a lower rate for older kids. that

doctor chin-hong. and you know, the u.s. isn't even vaccinated enough. >> you're the voice of reason why do you seem so calm here. well, i come because again, you know, inside in turmoil about the global situation and lack of a vaccine equity. but i think, you know, we do have the technology available. and it's just a matter of willpower. i think thinking about vaccine. the world is a really complex this year that has to do it economics and. intellectual property and, you know, voluntary licensing. they are making headway with the pills well, the pair of air from or and pax-lovid from pfizer with. those are probably enter many parts of the world before some vaccines. well, but we're doing a crummy you know, it's that some some parts of africa won't be vaccinated until the end of 2023. well, leave it there. doctor peter chin, hong, thank you for joining us here. during kron, 4 news at 5. >> thanks so grants and just seen can't wait to hear from new year's eve. appreciate your doctor. >> still to come tonight on kron, 4 news a

they are the people not vaccinated. >> a doctor peter chin-hong, as always, thank you. we appreciate your time. thanks, scott. to ken. for the latest covid updates. you can scan that qr code there on your screen. it will take you to our website where you'll find other information including travel restrictions in the latest cdc recommendations. >> the season's first snow survey was done today with what are considered a great results. water content of the snowpack way above normal. >> more than 78 inches of snow. depth recorded that survey was done at phillips station in eldorado county where water content is 200, 2% of the average for this state. the state average is now a 160% of normal but a strong start to the drug stricken states traditionally what winter season. although state authorities continue to say we are not out of the woods yet, but today's the best since 2010. you know, we had snow on mountain peaks around the bay area and now we're looking at a clear and dry conditions in downtown san francisco tonight. >> and let's go to at lawrence karnow laurent going t

peter chin hong to answer some questions. nice to see you the following today's news, is there any reason for 16 and 17-year-olds not to get that booster? >> no reason, raj. i'm very supportive of it. it helps that all of us have that extra layer of armor in these times of travel. and i think that even having infection system might be a step back for the family. >> you expect janl to offer boosters in. >> as you recall, the original trials were done in 16 and above. they put all the 16, 17-year-olds and there's evidence that the vaccine will be just as good in that group in the original trial. >> dr. chin hong, anecdotally speaking with the patients you deal with and community members, are you seeing people against getting vaccinated coming over or people digging in the sand and saying they're not crossing it in. >> i saw a big change about two weeks ago with the news of omicron. a lot of people on the fence were moved by the anxiety of omicron and future variants. so i think that mofed some people. i think there's probably a

and most importantly, and close to my heart streaming on the health care system. professor peter chin hong there from the university of california speaking to us a little earlier. now the world health organization is calling on people to cancel some of their holiday plans to help maintain help contain rather the spread of the on the chrome barrier. w h o director general tedra us get 3 years. so said, there is now clear evidence that only crohn is more contagious than any other version of the virus so far. and he warned that holiday festivities would in many places, lead to increased cases and more deaths. all of ours are seek off this bundle. all of us want to spend time with friends and family, but uneven counsel is better than a life cancelled. it's better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve letter. alyssa, on the crown variant races across the globe policy makers here in germany, are plotting their next steps to tackle the fresh wave. germany's infection rate has been falling, but cases are expected to soar again soon. the national health authority i

tony chang reports the me and ma border fires burn in the hill, top town of tent along and chin state northwest and mamma. the destruction caused by artillery shells and fires set by mamma's military, appear part of a concerted policy of scorched earth. most of the towns, $10000.00 residents, have fled across the nearby border into india, powerless to do anything to save their homes. others fled chin state for the simple reason. they couldn't find anything to eat in the creek about what i mean. but especially in my 2 p, there was a here food shortage. the people couldn't access to farms. also, as the military had placed my zondaway, no transportation was available and people couldn't go from one be led to another. internet access and phone lies were shut. satellite photos show how starting in september, systematic and coordinated attacks destroyed 580 buildings in the town. these attack takes often associated with me and mars military. and all because the residents had shown resistance to february's military coup. even in the berman heartland, home of mia mars majority, ethnic group o

chin hong says the risk of getting infected with covid should not be minimized. i just worry that the next variant may not be quite as mild as omicron again. i asked dr chin hong about new year's celebration, and he says there's no need to cancel all of your festivities. but be responsible cut down the size of the group that you're celebrating with indoors. and if you're in a risky setting get tested three days later. amanda i'm wondering even if you do feel okay. if you have big plans of going out for new year's eve, is it a good idea to get one of those rapid tests? it is a good idea if you can find one, which is proving to be very, very difficult. but i did talk to dr chen hong about this for christmas. a lot of people were trying to get that rapid test before christmas, he said. if you're vaccinated if everyone in the room is vaccinated, you should feel pretty good about it. so don't freak out if you can't get a rapid test, but also there's not a lot of tests out there. so really, you should keep it for if and when you do have symptoms. good advice. amanda ki

it's going to be risk air infectious disease expert at ucsf doctor peter chin-hong says the temporaryes set to last through january, make sense starting february first the city will also require health care workers and those in high-risk settings to get their booster shots. according to doctor chin-hong, a new study conducted in the uk shows that 2 doses of the vaccine gives 30% protection against omicron. but a booster at up to 80% protection give you the best protection. >> getting into said is so different from just having 2 shots. and when you're in a feel like myself and health care. all you want to have the best protection. mayor london breed says she will continue to take the necessary steps to deal with the latest surge in cases while also keeping businesses open and students in school. >> doctor chin-hong says he's optimistic going into the new year compared to this time last year with hospitals are running out of ventilators and covid deaths were peaking we're in a very different place right now. and i can't >> where we are. >> as an optimistic silver lining. this is even a

chin hong says it doesn't take two weeks to get protection from the booster. >> it starts happening a few days after you get it. reporter: he does not anticipate a fourth dose will be needed. >> i think a lot of people will have breakthrough and i will make us more protected. reporter: melanie woodrow, abc7 news. >> california state university system will also require students, faculty and staff to get a booster shot. exemptions may be made on medical or religious grounds. c.s.u.'s new requirement calls for boosters to be received by february 28. or six months after an individual received the final dose of the original vaccination whichever is later. the policy applies to all 23c.s.u. campuses. >> and in addition to boosters, there are two other parts of governor newsom's plan to fight covid. one is to get the young of the californians tested right after the holidays before they return to school. >> we are ordering six million tests. no charge. and we're going to be sending knows out to our partners you'll up and down the state to allow for priority access for at least one to two test

it's going to be risk air infectious disease expert at ucsf doctor peter chin-hong says the temporary rules set to last through january, make sense starting february first the city will also require health care workers and those in high-risk settings to get their booster shots. >> according to doctor chin-hong, a new study conducted in the uk shows that 2 doses of the vaccine gives 30% protection against omicron but a booster at up to 80% protection give you the best protection. >> getting into said is so different from just having 2 shots. and when you're in a feel like myself in health care. you want to have the best protection. mayor london breed will also require visitors of nursing homes to be tested on site for covid-19. >> she says the city will continue to take the necessary steps to deal with the latest surge in cases while also keeping businesses open and students in school. >> doctor chin-hong is optimistic going into the new year compared to this time last year when covid deaths were peaking. we were. >> running out of ventilators to alternate places for people to be taken

fled across the nearby border and to india. powerless to do anything to say their homes. others fled chin state for the simple reason. they couldn't find anything to eat. ready the creek, i mean, but especially in my 2 p, there was a here food truck age. the people couldn't access to farms also asked the military had placed my on away. no transportation was available and people couldn't go from one be led to another. internet access and phone lies were shot. satellite photos show how starting in september, systematic and coordinated attacks destroyed 580 buildings in the town. these tactics often associated with me and mars military and all because the residents had shown resistance to february's military coup. even in the berman heartland, home of mere mas majority, ethnic group opposition has been greatly put down in saigon. this woman shrieks with grief. after finding the body of her grandfather, one of 12 villages reportedly murdered by the military, mere mas government politicians and exile condemned the alleged war crimes that military every day committee crimes, terrorist act again

we'll go ahead and let's get more from peter chin hong. he is a professor of medicine at the university of california in san francisco. good to have you back with us or tell us the doctor truong a week ago, omicron account for just 12 percent of us infections. now it's 73 percent. what does that tell you about the virus? it's tells us terry, that this virus is speeding. ahead and forward like no other variance before. and if you think about 2 weeks ago, it was one percent. so it tells us really 2 things. first of all, that probably genomic sequencing lives, what the cases really are in the community. and secondly, once you get enough people infected in a community, it's like little kernan virus bombs going off. the increase is really exponential corona, virus, bombs. what do you expect the situation to be like then 2 weeks from now in the u. s. i see continued spread. i think it started off in the east coast really because of a lot of contact with the u. k. and with southern african countries. there are direct flights from dr berg, for exa

doctor chin-hong referred to this first wave of omicron cases as the tip of the iceberg. but he says the bay area's high vaccine rate. >> should prevent an increase of hospitalizations here and justine. >> rob, thank you for that report. but at least 2 bay area counties are adjusting their plans for mask mandates. santa clara county will keep its mask mandate in place despite the county been 79% vaccinated. the county could start loosening those restrictions at 80%. but health officials are being cautious as the delta and omicron variant spread. meantime, alameda county decided a few days ago to keep the mask mandate in place there. and this includes inside offices and public indoor spaces. the federal government's vaccine mandate is now tied up in court and some lawmakers on capitol hill say they want to overturn it. republican west virginia senator shelley moore. capito says she believes the u.s. house will vote to overturn president biden's vaccine mandate for private sector employees. she says she fears a mandate will make the labor shortage worse. but democratic ohio

doctor chin-hong says 1617 year-olds. >> are very similar to young adults. the doctor monica gandhi says the additional dose may not be necessary at this time. no other country. >> has done no other country think spent the young need a booster just because we have good immune responses that develop after the first to both doctors agree that it's really those first 2 doses that are most important for the younger population and the people that need the booster. most are people who are immunocompromised are over the age of 65. >> but long term. there is a chance everyone will need a 3rd many people believe the vaccines will be a three-dose series just like but i just measles, mumps and rubella. >> human papilloma virus and neither doctor believes the youngest population will be getting that 3rd owes any time soon under there's very little data about using the booster. so i would expect that people would need to have data before any discussion about whether or not it's needed. i asked the doctors about how people should approach their holiday plans. >> they say

peter chin hong is with us. we defer to dr. fauci who says the omicron isn't as bad as initially feared. what does this mean in layman's terms for snus. us? >> shorter stays in the hospital, very low proportion of folks on oxygen. everybody on oxygen, maybe only 30% on oxygen. i say these are early days. remember, it takes two to three weeks from initial infection to get really sick. so we're all still crossing our fingers. >> to summarize, a lot of people are getting the omicron variant but so far it doesn't seem to be as serious or as lethal. >> yes, so far so good. i think the difference again with south africa, it's a younger country, and most of them have seen delta recently. whether it's the fact of partial immunity or not remains to be seen. >> i know this is a very good problem to have especially in the affluent area like the bay area, if someone is traveling what should they consider if. >> i think they should consider disruptions to travel and, again, the need to have a negative covid test that's approved within 24 ho

. >> the white house firing back in a lengthy, blistering statement writing man chin's comments are add odds with his confidence with the president where he pledged to keep negotiations gooding if his comments mean an end, they represent a sudden end and breach to the commitment to the president. a prose posal they had hoped to 35s included $555 billion for climate change as well as child care, elder care and health care days ago, the president was optimistic saying, we will bridge our differences and expand the build back better plan >> leaving progressions livid sunday >> if he doesn't have the courage to do the right thing for working families in west virginia and america, let him vote no in front of the whole world. >> contacting man chin but he declined the call. >> monica, thank you >>> just five days until christmas. let's get to janessa webb. >> good morning. across the east coast, the weather is pretty good where we are seeing warmer temperatures and a little rain. for today, just kind of garden variety rain that will be a nuisance, you will see, temperatures are pretty cool i

kron four's taylor is actually spoke with local infectious disease expert doctor peter chin-hong. here's what he had to say. >> whether or not this is the calm before the storm. >> remains to be seen in the east coast has been a four-fold increase in pediatric hospitalizations in the new york area. chicago, watching to see what will happen. but the bay area's interesting because a lot of people around those kids are vaccinated, one of the highest rates of adolescent vaccines in the country. despite rising omicron cases and hospitalizations among children in other large cities. >> infectious disease specialist at ucsf. doctor peter chin-hong remains hopeful for several reasons for one, he says hospitalizations here in the bay area still remain relatively low in 2. the omicron variant doesn't appear to be more severe in kids than previous trance between ucsf benioff children's hospitals in san francisco and oakland doctor chin-hong says a high of 15 children were hospitalized with covid in september compared to only 5 hospitalized now, at the end of december. however, if the bay are

the president's top priority is likely dead after democratic senator man chin won't vote for it. >> thend our objective and our focus is to move on. >> where do the dems go from here? our political analyst joins with us his insight. >>> should you be vaccinated in order to fly? the new proposal from senator feinstein as omicron cases spread. and the show must go on. the big apple braces for new year's eve celebrations, as the city goes backwards with its covid protocols. . good evening again. the news at 5:30 starts right now. thanks for joining us on this monday. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. what now for joe biden? west virginiaer senator joe manchin opposes the president's build back better, the $2 trillion climate change bill. he explained

. >> reporter: peter chin hong pulls no punches when he talks about the threat of the coronavirus in all of its forms, especially the new and rapidly-number growing from the omicron variant. >> we know it's very, very transmissible, more transmissible than delta. it's going to take over the landscape from delta. but we're not fully confident it's going to keep people away from the hospital. >> stanford university cited the highly contagious nature in its decision. the uncertainty of its transmissibility this winter remains a concern and poses some logistical challenges for the start of in-person classes. stanford says it will also help students and teachers move into the new quarter with as few disruptions as possible. >> for those reasons it's probably wise to push the pause button and defer congregate situations. >> reporter: the school's advising workers and students to continue masking, testing and vaccinating to stay safe. dr. chin hong says it's promote for each school to make its own decisions. >> very high vaccination rates, not just in adults but in adolescents. >> reporter:

peter chin hong from ucsf. hi, i hope you had a nice weekend. thank you for joining us. let's begin with omicron. still early to tell, it seems more contagious but less severe? >> yes, we do know from european data, from the cases they found, half were asymptomatic. half very mild. we've seen that in the first case in the u.s. in the bay area. very mild symptoms. and today we got reports from the first time from south africa in the hospital showing that people came in with omicron, 70% no oxygen needed as opposed to the regular situation where almost everybody we'd see in the hospital with regular covid requires oxygen. many came in for something else. again, very little in terms of conclusively death ascribed to omicron, but early days. it takes two to three weeks from infection to getting very ill. so we're watching and crossing our fingers. >> yes, we're just developing these cases in a handful of states. and we know right now most of the hospitalizations or all of them so far, people are infected with delta. people are hearing, okay, don't panic, just take precaution

kron 4, sak, you talked with infectious disease expert doctor peter chin-hong. >> whether or not this is the calm before the storm. >> remains to be seen and the east coast says been a four-fold increase in pediatric hospitalizations in the new york area. chicago, watching to see what will happen. but the bay area's interesting because a lot of people around this kids are vaccinated, one of the highest rates of vaccines in the country. despite rising omicron cases and hospitalizations among children in other large cities. >> infectious disease specialist at ucsf. doctor peter chin-hong remains hopeful for several reasons for one, he says hospitalizations here in the bay area still remain relatively low in 2. the omicron variant doesn't appear to be more severe in kids than previous trance between ucsf benioff children's hospitals in san francisco and oakland doctor chin-hong says a high of 15 children were hospitalized with covid in september compared to only 5 hospitalized now, at the end of december. however, if the bay area were to follow trends on the east coast. doctor chin-hong

doctor chin-hong says 1617 year-olds. >> are very similar to young adults. doctor monica gandhi says the additional dose may not be necessary at this time. no other country. >> has done no other country thinks that the young need a booster just because we have such good immune responses that develop after the first to both doctors agree that it's really those first 2 doses that are most important for the younger population and the people that need the booster. most are people who are immunocompromised are over the age of 65. >> but long term. there is a chance everyone will need a 3rd many people believe the vaccines will be a three-dose series just like but i just measles, mumps and rubella. >> human papilloma virus and neither doctor believes the youngest population will be getting that 3rd owes any time soon under 16, there's very little data about using the booster. so i would expect that people would need to have data before any discussion about whether or not it's need it. >> and that was kron. four's amanda hari reporting for us tonight. still ahead.

and and you said doctor chin-hong cautions now is not the time to let your guard down. thing moves so fast that even in a few days, they're probably a lot more and there's a delay between when someone gets a test and when to get sequence. we know that it's definitely probably more than 90% on the east coast and moving rapidly west. >> now governor gavin newsome says he'll release more details at a press conference on wednesday. in the meantime, doctor peter chin-hong says that in addition to getting vaccinated and boosted the best way that we can protect ourselves is by using these surgical masks instead of cloth ones. i'm taylor reporting kron 4 news lawmakers are scrambling to support these new measures to fight covid, including the omicron virus a variant rather, some are coming up with their own plans and proposals. >> on first catherine heenan has more now on how bay area officials are responding. >> san jose's proposed booster mandate would make it the first city in california with such a requirement with very few exceptions city employees would have to get a boos

chin hong describes it as a maserati versus a prius. >> more than 40% of people have had some sort of infection recently. they got hit hard with delta recently. in the last 90 days, and that wasn't really enough to protect people against being hit again with only cron. the big question is whether the vaccines will protect against omicron. >> the youngest fans of the sharks will need more than just a ticket to get into games. proof of vaccination will be required for kids 3-11. s.a.p. will offer tests at the arena but recommend you take one ahead of time to avoid delays. >>> are you traveling for the holidays or expecting visitors? beginning today, international travelers entering the united states face tighter rules. we break down what you need to know. >> reporter: at 12:01:00 a.m. those changes officially went into effect, impacting international travelers coming into airports like this one, sfo, as well as airports across the country. now the new guidelines require that all travelers to the united states be tested for covid-19 within a day of boarding their flight. previously, thos

kron four's taylor spoke with local infectious disease expert doctor peter chin. hong. >> whether or not this is the calm before the storm. >> remains to be seen in the east coast says been a four-fold increase in pediatric hospitalizations in the new york area. chicago, watching to see what will happen. but the bay area's interesting because a lot of people around this kids are vaccinated, one of the highest rates of vaccines in the country. despite rising omicron cases and hospitalizations among children and other large cities. >> infectious disease specialist at ucsf. doctor peter chin-hong remains hopeful for several reasons for one, he says hospitalizations here in the bay area still remain relatively low in 2. the omicron variant doesn't appear to be more severe in kids than previous trance between ucsf benioff children's hospitals in san francisco and oakland doctor chin-hong says a high of 15 children were hospitalized with covid in september compared to only 5 hospitalized now, at the end of december. however, if the bay area were to follow trends on the

peter chin hong, a regular with us here at this point. we're also talk together chef at soony's cafe about why he's going to be requiring everyone to show that they've been boosted if they want to eat inside. >>> another big story that we're watching tonight, a significant break in the murder of a former police officer shot in downtown oakland. police arrested two men connected with that crime. kevin nishita was gunned gown while protecting a tv news crew, trying to do an interview. this was in late november. at a news conference this morning, oakland police chief armstrong announced two arrests but didn't say any names about the suspects or whether or not they're in jail. they also haven't been formally charged. there are two of them so far. the chief said he does believe officers are close to arresting a third person. >> there are homicide investigators have been working with local law enforcement agencisy across the bay area. >> nishita sadly leaves behind a wife and two children. the family is not making any comments at this point. >>

doctor chin-hong says we don't have to do anything different. but he continues to encourage people to get vaccinated and get their booster shot. san francisco city leaders say that at this time there is no need for more covid restrictions. >> in san francisco. camila barco kron 4 news in the north bay parents allegedly sent >> covid positive child to school. now it's student said neil cummins elementary school in corte madera have now tested positive for covid-19 school district officials say they suspect 3 students were infected on campus because child attended class after testing positive. in a statement, the district superintendent says that the index cases were from one family with a student tested positive and their parents knowingly symptom and their sibling to school for 7 days, county public health has been given the details regarding this case and the district will be taking corrective action about 75 students were exposed to the virus and had to be quarantined over thanksgiving break. covid-19 coverage continues right now at kron 4 dot

chin-hong. doctor, thank you for being here. will the mask mandate help and bring down the cases statewide? >> one is that we're being as proactive as possible. we're seeing what's happening in the u.k. what happens in the u.k. always comes over. it's like watching the weather report. we're talking about the weather right now, so that's why i think cases have risen almost 50% since thanksgiving. we're just worried about having ptsd from last winter as well, and the third reason is, i think, it is to prevent more severe measures. we don't want to lock down anymore, so let's just try this on a uniform basis to stem the tide. what the u.k. is doing may be a little toomp too -- little too much too late. they already have too many cases per day of omicron. >> do you think that could change as the omicron comes to the bay area more? >> so far so good. in the u.k., they had one death to omicron, which is amazing if you think about it. by now we would expect 7 to 10 cases in the u.k., and for them to have only one death so far is a dece

we will be speaking with an infectious disease specialist doctor peter chin.g who will be answering some of our questions and your questions about the omicron variant. that's coming up at 5.30. other news now today the body of kevin nishita received a police escort from oakland to a south bay mortuary. it was a week ago today that the retired officer who you see here was gunned down while working as a security guard protecting a kron 4 news reporter. >> kron 4 says he quit doing was at the mortuary when the police procession arrived. >> it is. it's difficult. it's difficult any time this happens unfortunately happens far too often. >> solemn salute in honor of retired police officer kevin, that she ate it whose body was transported wednesday from the alameda county coroner's office in oakland to the coal seam on a family colonial wary about abuse. a traditional police procession of red and blue flashing lights, a fitting tribute honoring his career of service wearing multiple uniforms as an officer at the oakland housing authority hayward police department cal

so here to discuss all the latest developments is ucsf infectious disease doctor peter chin. hong friend of the program. help us sort through some of this stuff. you know, and i don't make it mean to make light of this. but but it's it's as though this this is like a wiley coyote of viruses. this covid-19. it's morphing its you know, every time we think we have something figured out. it seems to be 10 steps ahead. >> a bikie. it definitely seems like a marvel movie with a different every few months. i and it seems impossible to keep track up. but i would like to payne some civil lines as well. we do have vaccines, which even though it may not prevent all of us from getting breakthrough infection will keep us away from the hospital. we have a lot more diagnostic tests available on where the cost of to options, potentially. but covid that could be prescribed that walgreens and favorite drugstore. >> so a lot of headlines today. let's start with the decision about j and j. give us a little a summary of the background of the on how these blood developed does the blood clot happen

peter chin. hong thanks for talking with us. that was professor peter jen, hong at san francisco university, california, san francisco. my pleasure, terry. thank you. take a look at some of the other stories making headlines today. of voters and hong kong have mostly stayed away from a legislative election there in which all candidates were betted for their loyalty to beijing. the hong kong electoral affairs commission said voter turnout was just over 30 percent. many opposition candidates have been silenced, jailed or have fled the territory. the death chill from typhoon roy in the philippines has risen to 208, making it one of the deadliest storms to hit the country in years. rise slammed into the philippines last week, leaving a trail of destruction and forcing 300000 people to evacuate. japanese fashion, billionaire, you saca ms. iowa has returned to earth after spending 12 days on the international space station. my as our became the 1st space tourist travel to the international space station in more than a decade. but as i

peter chin hong. dr. chin hong, thank you for joining us. i do have you here in studio. let's start by reviewing what we know about the omicron variant. it hasn't been very long that it has been out about over this past week, what have we learned about this behavior? >> there are two main red flags about omicron and those have made everyone in a tizzy. these are the fact that it seems a very transmissible. it was kind of minding his own business, about 200, 300 cases a day. all of a sudden, it is almost up to 8000 or 9000 cases a day. they began investigating, it was in one main prophets where johannesburg is and it turns out that there is this new variant that was found that was excepting delta. that is the first red flag. biologically, there are a lot of things that make scientists nervous. mainly, if there are 50 mutations, delta only has less than 20. 10 of these are on the business end of the spike protein where it attaches to cells to enter our bodies. because the spike protein has cemetery mutations, you know, probably 30 and all, we worry that the body won't reco