now on the cdc's watchlist as one of four variants of comes in the world. some of to 50%, morton's miscible. -- more transmissible. joining us is dr. peter trenholm. let's talk but the seriousness of this variant. the south african variant that is found in santa clara county, the brazilian variant, the uk has one. how big a threat are these, given that our state is opening up more and more? >> well, i think i will divide up all the variance into the good, the bad, and the ugly. the good is, it is not really good but compared to the other two it is. the regular covid, the bad is the uk variant and the california variant and the ugly is the brazilian and south african variant. they are bad because they are more transmissible. the ugly, they are more transmissible, and they can evade vaccines. the good news is that we are not going to probably see a dominance of the brazilian or the south african variants in the u.s. or in the bay area. we will see it digging out between the uk variant in the california variant and the uk variant will win because it is much more transmissible, even more so than the california variant. >> i don't like any of them winning but what do we know how prevalent they are? isn't it a random sampling of patients detecting the strains and what are they doing to seek them? >> so in the us we trail the rest of the world. many countries in the world, terms of the percentage of sample that we sequence. we sequenced less than more than 1% of the samples that are positive. as opposed to many countries like scandinavia, australia, and new zealand. the uk would sequence much, many more proportionally speaking but it is hopefully sort of a snapshot of what is going on but you are right, it is probably some bias toward labs that can do the sequencing, and not necessarily a representative sample. many people think it is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we are seeing. >> and this study showing the infectious strain here is now the dominant variant. the protective antibodies used in the vaccines and the therapeutics, are they not as effective against it? that is pretty concerning. >> it is concerning when you think that treatment may not be effective for some of the variance. we have data now and you alluded to the study from ucsf, published recently showing that it is not only potentially less effective for developing antibodies from the vaccine, but it is not as good when we use antibodies as these antibody drugs to treat people with early disease. but the cocktail seems, still seems to work. in fact the manufacturer, the government, the federal government pulled up one of the drugs because from arizona and california because it doesn't seem to work because we have so many variants. that particular california variant here. >> earlier, wilson walker was at the airport showing us vaccinated people are ready to travel but a big portion of the population still is not protected, so in your opinion, how safe is it to resume travel now or even resume some of our normal activities? >> i think come you know, it just depends on the area. i know people are anxious and itching to get back to some semblance of normal but i would say don't do it necessarily but do it cautiously, and i think we all know what we need to do, wearing masks, you know, washing our hands, that is really, really important. and of course, social distancing when you can. so i think all of these things, we know what to do. particularly with this less forgiving transmissible variant. it is kind of upended youth sports in minnesota, it is responsible for a prison outbreak in michigan. you know, this is not the same covid that we saw a year ago. >> well, that is amazing. just hang on, everybody. thank you so much. today was the first if in person classes for some students in the tri-valley. dublin unified youngest students preschoolers develop mental kindergarten, and kindergarten were in classrooms for the first time. they will be in class for just two hours a day. dublin unified decided not to do a hybrid model so there will be separate teachers assigned to in person learning, as other teachers focus solely on the kids zooming from home. >> why even bother? the social emotional part, that is a critical part, and it wasn't until that was taken away from us that we realized just how significantly important that is. >> they hope middle school and high school students will be back march 29th. meantime come the san leandro's unified school district and teachers unions have reached a tentative agreement allowing for hybrid instruction, if it becomes official students of all grade levels will be able to attend classes in person, starting april 12. the teachers association will vote whether to ratify the agreement next week. the president of santa clara's university is on leave, made an investigation into reports of impropriety. 54-year-old reverend kevin o'brien has headed the university for two years. he is also a longtime friend of the biden family, conducted mass in washington ahead of the president's inauguration. a notice sent to the university board of trustees did not elaborate on the allegations against him but university told us in a statement, it has to do with adult conversations that may have stepped over the established jesuit boundaries. the school went on to say the board supports the pro -- program and the father's investigation. >> reporter: from tragedy, his family is opening a new community resource center, called stephan's house. they plan to shuttle gun people across the sacramento area to the center, and three years after his death, officers must follow his law. cops can only use deadly force when necessary, instead of when reasonable. stephon clark's brother says it is a step forward. >> slow progress is better than no progress. >> reporter: he wanted to ask police chief daniel hahn here, speaking at an event, how this law has changed training and strategy in his department. he declines to answer. >> his brother went on to say, the family is not against law enforcement but they are against police brutality. still ahead, how peninsula homeowner jumped into action to save her dog from the mouth of a mountain lion. it is going to be getting crowded in base, how nasa and spacex are teaming up to make sure they don't crash into each other. coming up all new at 6:00, violence against asian americans on the rise. why bay area researchers are linking a single tweet to surge in onl they saw the big cat had her dog by the neck. that is when she got into her car and drove up on the lawn, caring the lion away. >> they go after the rabbits quite often in the morning, and small animals, cats and small dogs. you know, they are here, and so are we, so we have to live with them. >> the dog was taken to the vet for treatment and is expected to make a full recovery. an update this evening on the aggressive coyote that bit several people in contra costa county. turns out the animal did not have rabies. that is according to california fish and while the officials. people been by the coyote were notified of the news. the rabies test was conducted after the animal was euthanized last week. dna linked the coyote to an attack on a three-year-old last month, and for others in different incidents. all of the attacks occurred within a two mile area along the lafayette and morocco corridor. could be too good to be true? we go undercover to hear the pitch for a no money down program to make your home more energy-efficient. >> if you want to do a paste loan, pay some is pretty cool as long as you can qualify for it. there is no down payment, no payments until november of this year. >> some say the program does more harm than good. there warning tonight at 11 on kpix5. a big announcement about outside land, the music festival reese rituals again. why organizers it it appears getting a little crowded, so nasa and spacex just agreed to start sharing satellite location to prevent any collision. the goal? improved space safety. right now, there are about 2600 satellites in orbit. we saw a lot of this after winter storms, down fences, but if you're trying to get your fence repaired, be prepared to wait. the demand for wood is skyrocketing. renc to get supplies. >> they just snapped at the ground level. >> reporter: he still has stakes in the ground supporting wood beams that are keeping his fence propped up. >> it is a bit of a pain because i can't get in and out of my backyard. >> reporter: is fences are fallen victim to january's wild storm. the powerful wind and rain caused so much damage across the region. several homeowners are still waiting on repairs. as the price for materials grows, it is keeping lumber yards busy. chris barry told us, recent fires, the pandemic and the weather created a perfect storm for higher demand. he is even had to turn on extra saws to cut enough lumber. in addition to running multiple meal operations. >> the demand but it created is something that we struggle to daily to try to keep up with. >> reporter: contractors phones have been ringing nonstop. >> congress back for over a month now, so ever since those big storms hit. >> reporter: he is finally getting repairs is started this weekend. and feels the frustrations of other homeowners still waiting. he is opting for sturdier materials this time around. >> i want to make sure it will stay. >> folks looking to build homes, they are also having a similar issue. outside land is getting spooky, the golden gate park festival is moving to halloween weekend. this is the second time it has been rescheduled due to the pandemic. originally it was set for august 2020 and promoters moved it back a year. now it is scheduled for october, 29 through the 31st. organizers say they want to ensure it is safe, and they will still have mine. there are new additions such as glass animals, and 20 4k gold in. you can watch the full lineup on our website. back to the storm watch, video from berkeley, little earlier. another soggy evening, best to keep the umbrella out. >> the rain jacket handed if you will let the dogs outside, a towel by the door. many towels on the floor so they can track that onto the towels instead of onto your floor. in the same things for kids as well. and adults. let's take a look at what is happening right now. the big picture rater perspective which shows plenty of rain across most of the bay area with pockets of heavy rain, let's zoom into some of those pockets with the heaviest rain is falling including the santa cruz mountains, getting heavier downpours but then a little gap offshore is about to move in. a little gap in the action right now around san jose and you had some of the lower amounts. the heavier rain falling in the higher terrain to the east of san jose and farther down to the santa clara valley. for morgan hill, for gilmore, the devil range squeezing out more moisture. plenty of rain for alameda and contra costa counties in being heavier downpours right now right around danville, more rain falling heavily along california 24 and moving right up toward concord, heavier rain berkeley right now and that will continue moving to the northeast toward richmond and some pockets of heavier rain around the city but again it is a lighter trend as we look offshore were all of this is coming from. the north bay where things are starting to dry out and the back edge of this rainfall is steadily going to make its way farther east as we head into the rest of the evening for the next few hours are still looking generally wet with more rain lining up offshore and surging its way in. the back edge of that rain making its way toward the golden gate, by about 7:00, just over an hour from now. this is one version of one forecast model so things could be faster or slower. it gives us a good idea of what to expect with the back edge of the rain pushing across the bay by 9:00, pushing across the tri- valley by 11:00 this evening with generally drier conditions taking over, once we get past midnight, just a slight chance of a couple of lingering showers as we start the day on friday but we are going to dry out throughout the day, the sun will be emerge, and we are looking good as we head into the weekend as the influence moves out, dry weekend with warmer conditions starting to kick in on sunday but any outdoor plans on saturday, saturday is also looking just fine. we are seeing a lot of cloud cover and still more rain falling over san francisco as we look toward downtown from treasure island. high temperatures mostly in the 50s, couple of lucky spots, livermore and san jose up to around exceed degrees but a cool, wet day overall into cool, wet evening with temperatures in the 50s across the board. temperatures will back down into the 40s later tonight, not much variation because of that layer of clouds overhead and some of those doubts will settle right on down to ground level, some dense fog to start the day on friday. it should gradually improve as we head into the morning, i think the fog will be gone by late morning, midday at the latest and temperatures will warm up with some of that sunshine peeking through but still about 3 to 5 degrees below average, a few degrees warmer than we were today, we will see more 60s on the map especially farther inland but along the coast i think the gray skies will be tough to shake, highs in the low to mid 50s. mostly low 60s and the santa clara valley, inland and the east bay, fuse box staying short of 60 degrees but most locations should reach or exceed 60 degrees by the afternoon highs. not a whole lot cooler around the bay, just below 60 degrees in the city, around 60 for oakland and around or slightly above the exceed degrees for most of the north bay. still a little bit cooler with temperatures farther down into the 50s friday afternoon. temperatures to warm up as we head into the next several days. other than that slight chance of a lingering shower inland tomorrow, early in the day, it is a dry, for the rest of the seven-day forecast and the latest outlook from the climate prediction center shows dry weather sticking around right onto the end of march and even into early april. the warmer weather will be much more noticeable by tuesday and wednesday of next week with inland temperatures into the low 70s and even around the bay, high temperatures well into the 60s pick of the rainfall amounts that we picked up so far coming up at 6:00. new developments, the past 30 minutes, and arrest made in a southbay hit and run that left a cyclist dead. plus the state expands vaccine eligibility but drops millions from having priority. the group stuck in limbo. and the single thing that ucsf researchers say sparked a wave of anti-asian hate online. still ahead here at 5:00. >> i'm in oakland were a train and truck collided in a spectacularly's fiery crash. and it was all caught on camera i will have that story, emergency planning for kids. we can't predict when an emergency will happen. so that's why it's important to make a plan with your parents. here are a few tips to stay safe. know how to get in touch with your family. write down phone numbers for your parents, siblings and neighbors. pick a place to meet your family if you are not together and can't go home. remind your parents to pack an emergency supply kit. making a plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency. dramatic new video of an amtrak train tossing a truck into the air like a toy at an east bay crossing. >> oh my god, oh my god, it is going to hit it. oh, my god. >> that power, that is amazing. luckily there was no one in the truck when it smashed into it. it happened this morning at east 10th street and fruitville avenue. don ford is there with the aftermath. >> reporter: it happened shortly before nine a.m. this morning and it was swift. it was violent. and it was all captured on camera. the famous coast starlight train was heading to los angeles from seattle when it hits the truck in oakland. just before the impact you can see the driver outside trying to stop the train. too little, too late. no one was in the truck and none of the 111 passengers or crew members were hurt. opens fire rushed to the scene and had to go around the train to reach the burning truck. alvarado ramos saw the whole thing. >> i saw only the explosion. and you see over there, in front of the garbage, at the truck was taken from the tracks. >> reporter: all signals were working and the investigators are trying to understand why the truck was so close to the tracks. one source told me it was a contractor cleaning trash from the tracks. now what is left of the truck is locked behind a chain-link parking lot. smashed and burned to pieces. a miracle no one was injured. in oakland, don ford, kpix5. now at six:00, rain continues to fall across the bay area but the back edge of that rain is going to make its way in as we head to the rest of this evening. i'm tracking it, hour by hour, in the forecast. why researchers say one tweet led to a spike in anti- asian hate online. >> more negative terms related to anti-asian sentiment, were associated with chinese virus. millions of californians now left in limbo, dropped as a priority groups in the covid vaccine line. good evening. police in different cities have arrested two suspects in separate attacks on asian americans. oakland police just arrested this man for allegedly punching a 76-year-old asian man in the face after the victim said good morning to him. it happened tuesday near seventh and broadway. the victim was rattles but not badly hurt. so far police have not named the suspect. in san francisco, police have charged a 39-year-old stephen jenkins with elder abuse. cameras were there yesterday at 75-year-old xiao zhen xie fought back . police say that jenkins hit her after punching 83-year-old ngoc pham to the ground at the same intersection. a gofundme set up for his expenses has raised nearly $40,000. and that last check the gofundme for xiao zhen xie has raised nearly $425,000 in just a day. the goal was 50,000. this evening team coverage on the outbreak of violence against asian americans. we begin with andria borba and how a presidential tweet may have sparked an avalanche of online hate. >> reporter: well, one study released today shows that anti- asian sentiment has spiked unlike ever before following statements from the president, the former president, around the coronavirus early on in the pandemic. as a covid-19 pandemic began to explode across the globe, then president donald trump again using terms like these. >> the china virus. >> reporter: ucsf professor studied how those phrases multiplied and mutated on twitter, as the pandemic raged. >> it perpetuated these other forms of, of terminology, so for instance come you know, flu, or the wuhan virus. or call me flu. >> reporter: 1.2 million hashtags associated with president trump's language. >> many have believed that it was not a derogatory term, however, you know, our evidence showed that that is not the case and that more negative terms related to anti-asian sentiment were associated with chinese virus. >> reporter: words matter, particularly when they come from powerful people. >> in 2015 the world, helping visitations, release a statement saying that disease can provide