dr. peter chin-hong. hey, whenever i want to be deacon fuzed. dr. chin-hong, i call you?, definitely. >> super confusing area. >> i know. okay. so first, tell people what is phenylephrine and how does it work as a decongestant? >> yeah. so phenylephrine is marketed as a decongestant, and what it does is it constricts blood vessels, so it's actually used for other conditions as well. when people have eye problems, sometimes phenylephrine is used. it's used in what we most commonly know in a liquid form, but it's also it can be administered in a nasal spray as well. and each of these have different levels of efficacy, but there are different other medicines that constrict vessels as well. and when you constrict the vessel, you, you know, get some of the fluid, you redistribute some of the fluid, and that's how you get decongest it. >> got it. okay. so i know it's been around since the 1970s. right? but it really didn't get super popular until i guess they decided to put the old sudafed pseudoephedrine behind the counter in 2006. explain to people how that happened and what

dr. peter chin-hong from ucsf. dr. chin-hong, nice to see you. tell me, why get this booster? what are you telling your patients, your family, and your friends? >> well, the way i think about it, raj, is that i'll ask the folks who are older than 65 and those who are immune compromised of any age to go ahead and get it as soon as it's available, particularly if you haven't had a vaccine in the last six months or gotten infected. i think for everybody else, try to get it with your flu shot anytime before halloween will peak your antibodies for what we expect a larger amount of cases during the winter. >> this will be a separate shot. i get my flu shot and also this covid booster, so two different shots, right? >> yeah, two different shots. you could get it at the same time. in the future, we hope you'll just have one needle and two vaccines. so you just have to get stuck once. >> dr. chin-hong, what are you seeing now at ucsf, your own hospital? >> so i think, you know, we aren't seeing as many cases in the community convert to hospitalizations. so we would expect to be seeing,

dr. chin-hong says he is seeing an increase of covid cases in the bay area right now and more are expected. in santa clara county, the levels of covid in waste water are high in both palo alto and san jose. similar surges are being seen in other bay area counties. >> so the waste water being high really, again, tells us that there is a lot of infection in the community. we've all heard about people who are getting infected right now. even if they haven't had infection in the history of the pandemic. >> reporter: on tuesday, the cdc is expected to issue its own recommendations on the latest covid vaccine. but dr. chin-hong says it's not the only vaccine to consider. >> important to all of us to think about the flu shots and don't forget that flu is as big a killer as covid. >> reporter: in san jose, marianne favro, nbc bay area news. >> so we know the covid cases are on the rise. tonight on "nightly news," tom costello chats with a woman traveling overseas where one of six people in her group tested positive. >> have you -- were you aware that other people have been getting sick? have you b

dr. peter chin-hong. hey, dr. chin-hong, nice of you to join us. >> thanks for having me on. kristen. >> hey, are the cases up after labor day? >> cases are up. we're at the sixth consecutive week of increased cases in all metrics. so wastewater visits, test positivity, hospitalizations. they're all up. >> okay, so as such, like people are starting to think, hey, should i take a test? right. and many stores are running out of those home antigen tests of course, some of us still have those boxes left over from when we used to get them for free through usps or our insurance. and the fda just extended some expiration dates. we're going to pull that up. and you explain to us how this is working and how they're able to extend the dates for those kits. >> yeah. so when you first buy a test kit, maybe people bought them last year and they're in a closet and you basically go to the fda site. first of all, you check the expiration date, but don't throw it away yet. go to that site. you click on the test that you have. there's a link with a lot number. the lot number is next to the exp

dr. peter chin-hong is an infectious disease expert at ucsf. >> he and other physicians are advising those most at risk to strongly consider getting the shot as soon as possible. everyone, five and older will become eligible once the cdc signs off. and doctors say even healthy kids and adults should consider getting one. if you're around older people like your parents or your grandparents, i think it's up to you whether you want to do things to reduce the risk you might bring along of transmitting the virus to them. dr. mike wasserman was a part of the california vaccine advisory committee. he says in recent weeks, both cases of covid 19 and hospitalizations have been rising, thanks to a new variant . dr. wasserman says vaccination remains the best tool to fight against severe disease. >> this virus can still be deadly and it can still really knock you for a loop. >> covid is just one virus worrying health officials ahead of the winter months, though cases of flu as well as rsv are expected to pick up in the months ahead, creating a possible tripledemic even though you'll have to get separ

dr. peter chin-hong from ucsf. dr. peter, that's been a really big question and really frustrating for a lot of people who keep saying, i'm suffering from this, but we really haven't had the proof to validate or figure out what they do from now, right? >> exactly. you're talking about 15 million americans here with long covid, and many of these definitions require diagnosis of covid. and if you remember early in the pandemic, we didn't have enough diagnostic tests, so a lot of people got exposed, had symptoms, but couldn't really prove that they had long covid. and now, of course, with the study, we have key differences between the people who have symptoms, people who have recovered, people who have new symptoms and then have never had covid. >> can you tell me what the markers are in the blood that has now shown the researchers exactly that there is a difference? what did they find? >> yes. so there were three key findings. the first was that there is difference in the immune fingerprinting in t cells and v cells. the

dr. peter chin-hong is an infectious disease expert at ucsf. >> he and other physicians are advising thoset at risk to strongly consider getting the shot as soon as possible. everyone, five and older will become eligible once the cdc signs off. and doctors say even healthy kids and adults should consider getting one. if you're around older people like your parents or your grandparents, i think it's up to you whether you want to do things to reduce the risk you might bring along of transmitting the virus to them. dr. mike wasserman was a part of the california vaccine advisory committee. he says in recent weeks, both cases of covid 19 and hospitalizations have been rising, thanks to a new variant . dr. wasserman says vaccination remains the best tool to fight against severe disease. >> this virus can still be deadly and it can still really knock you for a loop. >> covid is just one virus worrying health officials ahead of the winter months, though cases of flu as well as rsv are expected to pick up in the months ahead, creating a possible tripledemic even though you'll have to get separate

dr. chin-hong, always a pleasure having you with us.h, i'm out and about trying to enjoy california weather as much as i can. >> have a wonderful saturday. thank you for being with us. >> thanks so much, stephanie. >> absolutely. well, still ahead on abc7 mornings housing project opposed by north bay activists are calling a new affordable housing complex a disaster for the neighborhood. and we'll take you out for a live look from our sutro tower camera. look at all that dense, dense fog. lisa argen will have your "kevin, what does being the ceo of cashbacking mean to you?" the way that i see it, if you're buying it, flying it, or wining n' dining it, then you gotta be cashbacking it. [chuckles] come on now. earn big with chase freedom unlimited. how do you cashback? georgia over the 2020 election. in the former attorney for donald trump claims there are deficiencies in the indictment making it invalid. giuliani argues his double jeopardy rights were violated because of how the racketeering allegations were structured. he wants a hearing

dr. peter chin-hong, thanks again for walking us through both of those big developments today. appreciate your time. thanks so much, heather. up next on the for today, demand is rising at bay area food banks on this giving day. we'll talk about how you can help those ( ♪ ♪ ) welcome to big tobacco's fantasyland. a new, healthier world without cigarettes. as long as you don't count the 6 trillion sold worldwide every year. and vaping won't lead to smoking, if you ignore the research that says otherwise. in big tobacco's fantasyland, the deadliest industry is your friend. shh... a city budget out of balance. mayor matt mehan spoke out ahead of this afternoon's council meeting. he said the council will now have to reopen the budget to find $3.9 million in savings due to the union pay hikes. the mayor says the city manager is recommending cutting crossing guards some traffic safety programs, staffing for it and some park programs. i've been very clear about the raises . i think we should we should give, which are above our historical average and are pretty aggressive. i refuse to s

dr. chin-hong explains the latest findings. >> it has implications in two ways.st of all, we can diagnose people with vague symptoms as having long covid, but more importantly, we can use this as a marker to study response to different therapies that have been developed. >> in the future, scientists are planning to dig deeper into the role it may play in long covid. >>> celebrating hispanic heritage month, we are taking a look at a dance group from san francisco. meet the kids from here and there. here at 16th and mission street, community center, weekly food distribution side, as well as a community kitchen. on a few days it's a dance studio for the chavalos. the group started in 2010 and focus on keeping culture alive. it's not just about the dancing, the group raises money for nicaraguan communities abroad and at home. >> the range that is latin america exists and we also exhibit great leadership and are dedicated to our communities there and here, and that we exist. >> their latest show took place earlier this month. they haven't released their next show date

dr. peter chin-hong, infectious disease expert at ucsf. doctor, it's always good to see you. think at this moment, a lot of us are kind of living in this post-pandemic reality. maybe maybe folks who are watching haven't gotten a covid booster shot in quite some time . what do you think now with this updated covid booster vaccine? do you think people are going to run out and get this? i think more people are going to run out and get it. certainly more than 20% that we saw with the uptick in the general population for the last booster. and the reason why is because it's aligned and timed with the flu shot. and i think people can kind of prepare the house, prepare the roof for the winter year by going out once a year to get an updated vaccine. you can get both at the same time. flu and covid. it's like yin and yang, oil and vinegar. um, you know, i think we can do this to prepare for probably what is going to be a larger number of cases for the winter. all right. so with this updated vaccine, how closely does it match the current subvariants that are circulating right now? well

dr. peter chin-hong on who should get the vaccine this time around.eople who should really get it as soon as it's available are those who are older and 65 and those who are immune compromised of any age, particularly if you haven't gotten a vaccine or got infected in the last six months. the reason why is that there's cased immunity wanes the fastest in that population, said dr. peter chin-hong goes on to say, for everyone else, he really does recommend getting the shot sometime before the end of october, although he also emphasized that severe disease hospitalization and deaths from covid are all still lower compared to 1 to 2 years ago tomorrow, santa clara county will start allocating millions of dollars in settlement money to respond to the fentanyl crisis the county is expected to receive as much as $45 million from the national opioid settlements during the next 18 years. supervisor cindy chavez said the board will vote on a series of investments tomorrow, including a fentanyl awareness campaign and funding to make the overdose reversal drug nar

dr. peter chin-hong, an infectious disease expert at ucsf. thanks for being with us.easure, garcia. thanks for having me on. of course, i jumped online this morning. i ordered those four tests for my little family. many insurances won't pay for those tests. and look, i have a husband and two sons. we can burn through four tests in a day if people are faced with paying for those tests. i imagine many will decide not to do it. exactly. and testing is really the gateway to a lot of interventions like paxlovid and of course, from keeping others safe around you. if you know what you have, if the sniffles or that sore throat is covid, you might want to keep away from your aunt or uncle who's more immune compromised. so i think that is kind of where we are. government is spending $600 million. and i agree it's really a good move right now. yeah. is it a good enough move? i think i hope that we would have been able to have more tests than that. of course, like you said, you're going to burn through four during the season. i hope that they reset it again for the winter time. i

dr. peter chin-hong joins us with the latest covid news and other health headlines.us for those stories and more at 530 on abc7 bay area streaming tv. ama. all right. thank you, karina. and you can download the abc seven app or head to abc7 news.com and join karina in two minutes. >> and if you're watching us on tv, world news tonight with david muir is up next for sandy patel and all of us here at abc seven news. thanks for joining us. i'm julian glover. >> and i'm ahmed daetz. we'll see you again at six the prawns are delicious. oh, i have a shellfish allergy. one prawn. very good. did i say chicken wrong? tired of people not listening to what you want? it's truffle season! ah that's okay... never enough truffles. how much are they? it's a lot. oh okay - i'm good, that - it's like a priceless piece of art. enjoy. or when they sell you what they want? yeah. the more we understand you, the better we can help you. that's what u.s. bank is for. huge relief. yeah... ♪ with chevy silverado and silverado hd, you can take on the mountains. or you can move them. with the po

dr. peter chin-hong, who says we could continue to see late summer covid waves in the future. >> or it may we are going to see this pattern for the next few years of a small bump in the summer and a bigger bump in the winter. and that's because, particularly since climate change is causing a lot of people to go indoors during hot periods in the summer, it's kind of like a reverse winter. >> cdc officials are urging the public to stay up to date on covid vaccines and get tested when they feel sick. a new covid 19 booster is expected in the coming weeks. well, the point reyes national seashore held its first public meeting on thursday on its proposal to remove a controversial fence. the removal would allow its largest tule elk herd to roam fre this comes after two large die offs the herd experienced during droughts at the tomales point elk preserve. the proposal is supported by environmental groups and activists, many of which filed litigation in federal court against the park service, alleging neglect in response to the die offs. well, iphone lovers will find out about a new change next wee

dr. peter chin-hong earlier tonight on the floor, and he says the ingredient is not harmful. but prescription decongestants are more effective. it's included in things like theraflu and mucinex and all of these nyquil, a lot of these combination meds instead going over, you know, behind the counter, using a license to get pseudoephedrine. also known as sudafed. that has actually been shown to decrease congestion in individuals and advisers to the fda, voted unanimously that medicines containing that drug are ineffective at easing congestion . new at six, the city of san francisco gave final approval to a major settlements by walgreens and two pharmacy companies for their role in the opioid crisis . walgreens will pay nearly $230 million over 15 years. teva pharmaceutical will pay more than $24 million and allergan agreed to pay more than $12 million. the city filed the federal lawsuit back in 2018. the court found the companies falsely and misleadingly marketed opioids as safer than they actually were. all righty. slow moving. hurricane lee behind me. it's made a lot of news

dr. peter chin-hong says people most at risk should strongly consider getting that shot. as soon as possible. >> groups that i would really hope would get it would be those who are older and 65 and those who are immune compromised of any age. >> medical experts say vaccination is still the best tool to fight against severe disease. >> 509 this morning. we'll take you outside a live look at our walnut creek camera. we have a bit of fog out there this morning. be aware of that. that's one of the bigger changes compared to yesterday. yesterday, we had clear skies, but there are some areas of dense fog in the east bay and along the coast this morning, pollen count, it's back up tree pollen at medium levels. your main offenders are elm and pine trees right now. weed, pollen, mold spores are low. your uv index is running high today. here's a live doppler seven along with satellite. we have zonal flow underway. that's a very tranquil weather pattern to be under. and what it means is going to be little change through the day to day forecast. maybe some ebbs and flows by a few deg

dr. peter chin-hong.e says we could continue to see late summer covid waves in the future. >> it may be that we are going to see this pattern for the next few years of a small bump in the summer and a bigger bump in the winter. and that's because, particularly since climate change is causing a lot of people to go indoors during hot periods in the summer, it's kind of like a reverse winter. >> cdc officials are urging the public to stay up to date on covid vaccines and get tested when they feel sick. a new covid 19 booster is expected in the coming weeks. new this morning, hundreds of schools across the state are being audited right now for high un vaccination rates. as many as 500 are reporting over 10% of their students are not fully vaccinated. this includes more than half of oakland's elementary schools and eight of their middle schools. the highest rate of vaccinated children is a kindergarten class of 11 in humboldt, with 90% needing at least one vaccine. san francisco is getting ready to host an est

dr. peter chin-hong.says we could continue to see late summer covid waves in the future. >> it may be that we are going to see this pattern for the next few years of a small bump in the summer and a bigger bump in the winter. and that's because, particularly since climate change is causing a lot of people to go indoors during hot periods in the summer, it's kind of like a reverse winter. >> cdc officials are urging the public to stay up to date on covid vaccines and, of course, get tested when they feel sick. a new covid 19 booster is expected in the coming weeks, pending fda approval. well, speaking of vaccinations, hundreds of schools across the state are being audited right now for high on vaccination rates. new this morning, as many as 500 are reporting over 10% of their students are not fully vaccinated. this includes more than half of oakland's elementary schools and eight of their middle schools, the highest rate of vaccinated children is a kindergarten class of 11 in humboldt, with 90% needing at

dr. peter chin-hong at ucsf says there are some other options.ike theraflu and mucinex and all of these nyquil , a lot of these combination meds instead going over, you know, behind the counter, using a license to get pseudoephedrine. also known as sudafed. that has actually been shown to decrease congestion in individuals. according to data from the fda products with phenylephrine generated nearly $1.8 billion in sales just last year. the products are still on shelves right now, but if the fda follows through on these recommendations, companies could be required to either remove them from the shelves or reformulate them. now, a couple of things that you should note. they say studies seem to show that phenylephrine is still effective if you use it in the nasal spray. so if you use that, that is different and it is still safe. so they weren't questioning that they were really just questioning whether it actually works at what it says. it's supposed to do, which is to help relieve that congestion, live in walnut creek, amanda quintana ktvu fox two