>> good afternoon, everyone, thanks for joining us. you're watching "getting answers" on abc 7. today, we have a doctor to discuss two really big health headlines. the cdc is clarifying if we should be getting a covid booster shot annually, and a decision to help fight our nation's drug overdose epidemic. for the first time, and opioid treatment drug will be available without a prescription. also, california lawmakers have made a move intended to help us save money on gas prices. we will get details about this

first in the nation measure to help us control rice spikes. will it work? and we will hear what gas companies have to say about it. first, another wet, windy weather system moves across the bay area today again. it is something we are starting to expect weekly. we begin with the latest on the weather from a man who has been following it for years. have we ever seen anything like this? spencer: not in the bay area. yesterday, we talked about terrible tuesdays because three consecutive tuesdays, we had consecutive storms. i don't want to call it wonderful wednesday yet, but maybe weird wednesday. let me give you a couple of live camera views to show you how it looks outside. you can see dark, low moving over the city right now, even though it is not raining areawide right now, we have these scattered showers, so these dark clouds appear here or there.

you get a few downpours and than they are gone. this is how it looks at the golden gate bridge where you can see there is wet pavement. it has recently rained, but skies are getting brighter. there's one more -- well, not much of a view at all, but from emeryville a moment ago, you can see dark clouds beginning to move in. now it looks like they are obscuring the camera view. i will show you where the rain is falling right now. in san francisco, right across the bay in oakland, we have light to moderate rain, but mixed in are these little brief downpours. if you are driving right now, you may drive through a 32nd downpour, and next thing you know, the skies becoming partly sunny. in the inland east bay, we have a more widespread area of showers. this rain is more moderate to heavy. notice those little lightning bolts. you can see right here in altamont and between discovery

bay and tracy, we have some thunderstorm cells moving out that way, so there has not been much of that areawide, but it's happening right now over in the east bay. here is a look at what is happening. the storm we have today on the impact scale is level 1, so it is a like a storm. through tonight, we can expect periods of showers, brief downpours, maybe some small hail and lightning mixing in as we just saw on the inland east bay and there will be snow on higher peaks as we get into the evening hours. here's the forecast animation. going into the late afternoon, evening hours, notice how the storm winds down and those scattered showers become more widely scattered. the weather gets a little calmer before 11:00 tonight, and they will be pretty much over by early tomorrow morning. when conditions, it is breezy, but we don't have the powerful,

damaging wind gusts like we had yesterday. we will move over to the sierra because this is important. look at the statewide average snowpack right now. it is at 227% of normal, more than twice the normal level for this time in the season. more snow is underway because we have a winter storm warning underway until this evening. that is pretty much the recap, the overview. list: it is remarkable to see all that snow. first, what is next? we are talking about this terrible tuesday. do we have another one on the way? spencer: not a terrible tuesday, but a touchy tuesday is on the way. i mean by that. this will give you pretty much clearer idea of what is coming our way. tomorrow and friday, mostly sunny. finally some drying out. saturday and sunday, we see the clouds increase. there's a chance of a sprinkle or let shower but not enough for us to even put a numerical

ranking on any kind of storm, but look at next tuesday and wednesday. looks like another system is developing that could be a storm and get some kind of ranking, so be on the lookout next tuesday. liz: we will be ready for it. appreciate it. imagine nearly 60 feet of snow. that's a lot of snow, and the amount of snow of your storms have dumped in tahoe so far, what does that mean for the ski season, our water supply, and flooding concerns? today we are getting answers on that. thanks so much for joining us. we know this is a historic season. we keep saying it, but just give us a sense of how historic. how much snow are we seeing right now? >> to today's date, we have 114 inches of snow, which means that realistically, we are in second place as far as the snowiest winter the snow lab has

ever recorded. the only year that beats it is the winter of 1951-1952. liz: wow, that's going back decades. what is the latest today? in the bay area, it has been rainy. what is it like now? are you guys getting a lot of snow today? >> we got about 21 inches prior to 8:00 a.m. today, we have had a little bit of flurries but nothing too crazy. they do come in periods where visibility gets bad and conditions will still be a little bit bad on the roads, but it has not been consistent all day like it was yesterday. liz: that's good. when is a lot of snow too much snow for you? have we reached that point where you are like, it is time for her to stop? >> i guess it depends on the day you ask me. if it is a day i'm traveling a lot, absolutely, but days like today where i got to soak it in and enjoy it, not so much.

for me, i'm still enjoying having it come down. with that as well. liz: do you think we are going to beat that record? >> not off the current forecast. weather models are showing a little bit of a likelihood of potentially more snowfall in the next one or two weeks, but it's not going to be the roughly 100 inches it would take to get us into that first spot of all time record. we have more on the way. liz: i want to show some from our friend who was on good morning america this morning. she went inside one of the snow pits you guys are digging. we are showing video of ginger inside this pit. what is the significance of digging those pits? >> these allow us to do a few

different things. first, we look at that came in and the potential for avalanche danger, but after we do that, we go through and measure the density at different levels throughout the snowpacks, the temperature at different levels throughout the snowpack and even the amount of water that is free flowing in it, and that can tell us at a lot of different things about just how much water was in it, how likely it is to melt quickly versus slowly, and then liz: at some point all of that snow we're looking at because we are showing pictures, all of this will melt. what areas are you watching most closely right now? >> we are going flooding going into the spring, unfortunately. with a snowpack this big, that is just going to be likely. i think the biggest concern is

for areas have already had a lot of flooding occur because those are the areas where we are likely to see more melt, and then contribute to the already existing flooding, so there's a little bit of concern just about everywhere we have had this massive snowpack, especially if we get an extreme hot or warm event that helps melt this historic snowpack that we have going on, but fingers crossed it will be a relatively mellow melt season and any flooding that does occur will be minimal. liz: big picture, what are you watching as we wrap up here? what are you looking at over the next few weeks? >> we are seeing overall a little bit of a drying pattern compared to what we have seen the last four to six weeks. we are not seeing the frequency of big storms like we have in recently. looking a little bit more like the models are leaning towards the pick in the future, that said, we have seen this happen before where they are expecting

try and switch back to moist, so it is kind of anyone's gas. for now, i would say we will be drying out going into april and may. liz: may be good news for those people wanting to hit the slopes? >> absolutely. liz: thank you so much berkeley. we really appreciate it. thanks for joining us. some big medical headlines to tackle today. the fda approved anti-overdose drug narcan for over-the-counter use, and a covid booster decision from the world health organization.

liz: welcome back. with drug overdose levels

hovering near record levels, the fda approved an over-the-counter version of anti-overdose drug narcan. it was one of the two major medical decisions announced in the last two days. the second involves conflicting device on the need for annual covid booster shots. we have a doctor here to help guide us through the decisions and possible ramifications. good to see you. thanks for joining us. let's start with new covid-19 news this week. the cdc has updated booster guidance. what are they saying? >> the cdc is saying that right now, they would like folks of all ages and immune compromised status to sit tight. the implication is that people wait for the fall rollout when we would normally get the influenza shot as well. liz: when should someone now get this booster? how many months should have passed before their last one? >> i think right now with the

u.s. guidance, you are not waiting to get a booster at the six-month mark like previously. you just get at least one bivalent booster that is updated , and you just wait until there's further guidance. i know people are confused because in the u.k. and canada, there are people who are above 75 years who are authorized for the booster and above 80 in canada, and i think right now people are a bit confused in the u.s. liz: absolutely. also the guidance keeps changing and moving and also that's because we are still learning about covid. some people might say, do i really still need a booster? people are getting covid with or without one. what do you say to that? >> covid in a younger person is not the same as covid in an older person, so maybe 80% of americans have not gotten the

new bivalent booster. if you are immune compromised and one of the 80%, you should run out and get it because we are still taking care of people in the icu. there are three -- there are still 300 americans to 400 americans die every day of covid. >> i hear businesses -- whenever i hear people are putting off their booster, sometimes the symptoms are really rough. is that still happening to folks with this new booster or is that getting better? >> it is the same thing, but i would say if you got covid, which is very common, most people have gotten it. you have probably taken on much more than 1 -- you are probably taken out much more than one day, which is what you get the booster. three or four days, sometimes a week, sometimes more. if you are one of the people who are older or immune compromised, it can mean the difference between life and death, even if

you got the primary serious in 2020. liz: i just want control net, i cannot hear right now. let's talk about the other big announcement today. the fda has approved narcan nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses. how significant is this announcement decision? >> this is a game changer. just to give listeners some history, the cdc, fda, tried to liberalize narcan, which can be like an epipen in terms of reversing opioid deaths . they liberalize the two pharmacists 15 years ago, but only about 20% of drugs are given by pharmacists. i think the idea is you can find it now in the supermarket, in target, in gas stations. the idea is to have as much

narcan available so people can have access to it, and we can probably make a dent in the one million americans who have died in the last two decades from drug overdose. >> it is truly a crisis right now. my question was how will it actually work? will it be vending machines? any kind of story you can walk into? >> it will probably be exactly as you said. there will be a variety of ways on top of cvs or walgreens, in a vending machine, at target, but the problem is, like, you know when you and i go to the drugstore and there are problems that are higher value so they put them in the case, and people will have to go in and engage with someone to try and get narcan, which might be a barrier because people feel embarrassed. if the price point goes down, hopefully it will just be on the shelves and people can go ahead and get it, but right now, when they are pricing it in new

jersey, new york, it is anywhere from $78 to $100. it is covered by insurance, but the price point has to go down before it is really more widely available. >> for folks to learn how to use it, and is it dangerous to administer for someone who ends up not needing it? maybe someone is confused, thinks they need it and administers it? >> not dangerous at all, very safe, very easy to use. don't test it. just put the person's head back and spray it in one nostril. if they are not responding, you take the second -- it comes in pairs -- you spray it in the second nostril. liz: that's good to know. hopefully a lot more folks learn how to use it. thanks for joining us. we appreciate it. >> thanks so much. liz: should oil companies face

fines for spikes in gas prices? that could happen under a new california law. we will talk to a state lawmaker to find out what the bill is all about and if it

liz: this week, california lawmakers approved the nation's first penalty for price gouging at the pump. they voted to give the power to punish companies for profiting from gas price spikes. a democrat from santa barbara joins us to talk about this decision. thanks for joining us. tell us more about the measure that lawmakers approved and the impact you hope it will have on gas prices. >> absolutely. thank you so much. i think it is important to note that one of the things legislators have in hearing so much about is the fact that gasoline prices are superhigh, so many individuals and constituents throughout the state have been reaching out to

senate offices, assembly offices, and saying, what are we going to do about this? california engaged in a months-long process to try to determine what the best outcome would be and how we can think about the fact that there is perceived price gouging for gasoline. that is exactly what you see. a measure that was introduced during the special legislative session that was signed by governor gavin newsom yesterday would prevent price gouging for gasoline. this would allow our state energy commission to get more information about the prices, the contracts, information that is useful in determining if there is actual price gouging going on, so that is an intended measure. we think it is very important, and we felt it was also important to provide action versus inaction on an issue so many californians care about. liz: absolutely. you talk about how this has been a months-long process. the governor first called on a

tax on oil companies, then a penalty if oil companies surpass a certain level of profits. how did lawmakers get to the final iteration of this plan, and how will it work? >> lawmakers worked closely with the governor's office and with the governor himself. he came and spoke to many legislators about his idea. the final product you have is a combination of a lot of ideas representing 58 different counties, lots of constituents, so it will be a determination by the energy commission. first they will collect information, analyze that information, and determine if there is actual price gouging going on. if they find and only if they find that there is actual price gouging going on and that there is a concern, then they can apply a penalty. the idea of this particular bill is not necessarily to stop gasoline companies from making a profit, but certainly it is to ensure there is not price gouging or excessive profit, and i think that is one of the major

concerns, that while last year's prices peaked at about $6.42 per gallon, there really was a record two dollars to 6 dollars 61 cents higher than the national average, so we are looking at that big gap and determining how to address that because we know people get to work, get to school, get access to health care by driving. we want to make sure we are not taken advantage of as consumers. in the state. liz: as you know, the oil industry has been adamantly against this. i want to share a statement we got in response to this passing. first from chevron. they said this just agent does not make gasoline supply more affordable, reliable, or secure. it may even make price spikes and supply shortages worsened by erecting barriers to refinery expansion and investment. we look forward to working with the california energy commission to help address the fundamental reason for high gas prices -- not enough refinery capacity and

not enough gasoline to meet demand in the california market. they are essentially saying this could maybe even raise gas prices. how do you respond to those comments? >> the difficult part in hearing a comment like that is you also look at that particular company's profits last year. 36.5 billion dollars, doubling 2021 profits. certainly in a state like california, in a country like united states, we understand profits are going to occur, but certainly, we know they had an outstanding, profitable year while consumers were paying more per gallon of gas, and that is what we are trying to determine -- why that happened and the information that is needed for california to make a determination if there is price gouging. i think there could be and a lot of conversations about the supply of gas. this particular legislation focuses on price gouging at the pump station, which is really important for consumers.

liz: another thing you sometimes hear people say is just remove regulations. california has the highest regulation, which means it will have the highest gas prices. >> california is a state that cares a lot about the air quality, quality of water, quality of soil, quality of life for individuals. while california has some innovative ways we deal with a lot of issues our californians care about, that argument about regulation does not solve or explain fully why the gasoline price in california was $2.61 more than the average price in other states. even in our public hearings that we had, that was something that came up and the oil industry indicated. you see billboards that give a very different number, so that is what we are really trying to get to. why here in california? what is happening? we would like to get to the bottom of that by asking for

more information, and this legislation allows us to further investigate why this is happening in our state and allows us to legally get more information to understand if california consumers are being scammed at the gas pump. liz: i think californians would be fascinated by this. thanks for joining us. and a reminder -- you can get our live newscasts, breaking news, weather, and more with our news, weather, and more with our abc 7 bay area streaming tv app. here to tell you about life insance and looking to buy life insurance what are the three ps? thr? of life suinrance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price that can't increase,

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gas prices. we always every day get experts to answer questions around the bay area. "world news ♪ ♪ >> tonight, breaking news on pope francis in the hospital, what they are saying about his condition. also tonight, authorities now believe about the shooter at that school in nashville. tonight, authorities were viewing police have stormed the school, took down that sugar within minutes, but what they witnessed at the school involving the suspect and what they believe it reveals about the shooter. also tonight, investigators have now questioned the shooter's parents. moments ago, the first lady in nashville to honor the victims. alex perez on the scene. also developing at this hour, pope francis hospitalized in rome, what they are saying about what he's fighting in james longman with late reporting. here at home tonight, authorities very concerned about this new storm system that could bring tornadoes and dangerous

winds to the same part