thousands of students petition stanford's third shot policy. what the school is now saying about the mandate pushback. thank you so much for joining us for the midday news. i'm kris sanchez. while health areas are urging students to get covid booster shots, stanford says not so fast. they issued a new requirement for all students but a new petition is now there to stop

all mandates. this comes as the deadline for the mandatory booster approaches? >> good morning, yes, the deadline is quickly approaching. january 31 is the day in which the students need to show the proof of the booster shot but some of the students are saying at stanford, not so fast. so far 1,500 students, parents and faculty staff signed the petition. according to the petition.org petitioner, they are critical of the mandate for, quote, failing to consider the strong immunity to covid-19 that over 95% of the fully vaccinated student body always has. it also explains the mandate ignores the known risk of heart inflammation from the covid-19 vaccine. they also ask the university treat the students like adults. that petition creator said the signatures will be presented to

university leadership on tuesday and so far has not garnered a response. but i did reach out to stanford and received this response -- our booster require. for students who are eligible is intended to support sustained immunity against covid-19 and is consistent with the advice of county and federal health leaders. right now we're still in communications there with the folks at stanford to get a better idea of the ramifications of students not presenting that booster proof of vaccination by january 31 deadline. we're also wondering if this will be expanded to staff members as well. so a lot to continue to follow. we'll do that on air and online. live in san francisco, cierra johnson for nbc bay area news. >> thank you very much, sear ya. this morning it appears the post holiday omicron surge is starting to taper off. however, hospitalizations continue to rise. as of monday across the bay area, there were 1,881 hospital patients who were infected with

covid. more than 300 in intensive care units. in san francisco there were -- i'm sorry, 256 covid-positive patients monday. just three fewer than the all-time recorded about a year ago. and in sonoma county, concern for veterans skyrocketed to more than 18,000, almost 19,000. a year ago there were nearly 5,000 active cases. new at 11:00, we're getting details from the cdc about the wave of covid before omicron. this is between may and november of last year, and the agency says data from new york and california shows that those who were vaccinated and battled the previous covid infection will protect it against hospitalization if they were infected with the delta variant. however, those who were unvaccinated and got a covid diagnosis for the first time, more likely ended up in the hospital. it's important to note, the

study ended prior to the widespread implementation of booster shots and before the omicron surge. the white house is announcing it will provide 400 million free n95 masks to people all across the country, and the administration began shipping masks this week to pharmacies and health centers to distribute the masks in thousands of different locations. they hope to have that program fully operational by next month. also the federal government's new free at home covid-19 testing program is up and running. consumer investigator kristin murrah walks us through how to get those four three tests. >> signing up is super simple. you start at covidtest.gov and click on the blue button there. that will take you to the post office site where they only need your name and address. one quick hiccup some people are running into if you live in an apartment or condominium with a unit number, if you're not putting it in this box to the right of the street address box, it might not work.

look out for that. once you fill it out, you can click the green button that says check out now. you will verify your order that says free at-home covid-19 tests, order of four, everybody gets four at zero dollars. place your order and you get a confirmation page. you are expected to get these towards the beginning of the month. it's that simple. if you run into trouble give us a call 888-996-tips or go to nbcbayarea.com and click the main response option. there are folks who are experiencing some hiccups through that website. social media was flooded with complaints of people struggling to place orders, especially to homes or apartment buildings where other tenants already placed their orders. here's the reason why. you can only have one order per household, but the website doesn't recognize apartment complexes or multifamily units like duplexes. if your order is not going through, the white house says email the postal service or call the usps help desk.

we tried to make it easy for you to order those at-home tests. go to nbcbayarea.com and click on the link in the trending bar. there you can find information about the free test, who's eligible and a link to order. new at 11:00, students are continuing to boycott over the oakland school district response to covid-19. this is video of yesterday's sickout. a teacher who participated in the boycott confirmed that more absences are planned among students for today. she said teachers do plan to be in the classroom, but that student petition is calling for classes to be moved online. they are also calling for more testing, kn-95 masks and n95 masks for all students. the oakland unified school district said it is trying to meet all of those demands. a suspect who allegedly pushed a woman into an oncoming subway train faced a judge this morning. the judge ordered marshal simon to remain in custody and to undergo a psychological exam to

see if he's fit to stand trial. that attack happened over the weekend in new york. ten people in new york city, also here in the bay area, honored the victim, this woman, 40-year-old michelle go who grew up in fremont and moved to new york. police are not calling it a hate crime but they are expected to be back in court next week. in less than two hours, president biden will mark his one-year anniversary as president with a speech and a press conference at the white house. this comes as the president's approval rating is down significantly. and two signature efforts, voting rights and build back better remain stuck in limbo. here's scott mcgrew with a brief look at the first year of the 46th president of the united states. >> i, joseph robert edwin biden jr., do solemnly swear -- >> joseph biden's first actions came moments after saying "so help me god." returning to the paris climate

accords, halting funding of the wall of the mexican border wall and repeal the travel ban, all within his first days of presidency. high points in the first year, the american rescue plan and its child tax credit lifted millions of american children out of poverty for the first time. the new president signed a massive infrastructure bill into law, hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for roads and bridges. america saw record job growth. record stock markets. and biden ended the longest war america ever fought. a rocky and disorganized withdrawal but an end nonetheless. 245 years ago we declared our independence from a distant king. today we're closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus. >> reporter: we hoped the president's fourth of july declaration of independence from

covid marked the beginning of the end of the pandemic but the nonmasks and nonvaccinated frustrated those efforts. >> i know we all wish we could finally be done with wearing masks, i get it. >> in fact, in nearly every address this year, president biden reminded us to wear a mask and get a shot. >> when you're indoors in public places, you should wear the mask. >> reporter: there was a lot of frustration. a member of the president's own party stood in the way of building back better. republicans blocked his party's voting right bill designed to push back against red states and their efforts to restrict voting. the president spoke with an unusual anger, comparing those who stood in the way of modern voting rights with racists and supremacists of the of past. >> if you want to be on the side of dr. king or george wallace? you want to be on the side of john lewis or bull connor?

you want to be on the side of abraham lincoln or jefferson davis? this is the moment to decide to defend our elections, to defend our democracy. >> reporter: unusual anger and an unusual change of mind from a man who spent decades in the senate. after years of opposition, biden now supports exceptions to the filibuster in order to get the voting rights bill passed. only once again, though, to run into opposition from a member of his own party. now history teaches us not to judge a president by his first year. in roosevelt's first year, the great depression got worse, not better. but roosevelt would ultimately rescue the nation. president trump's first year was quite the roller coaster but the world had not yet heard the words coronavirus or kn-95. so we don't know what challenges are ahead in the second year of biden presidency. what he may be remembered for, good or bad, years in the future, but, kris, we suspect we

know one and that is the midterm elections, which are looking very grim indeed for democrats. >> all right, thank you for that look back. it happens as we wait for the look forward once that press conference begins at 1:00 this afternoon. and we will carry it live here on nbc bay area and our website, nbcbayarea.com in case you have to hit the road. new at 11:00 -- a warning about a mountain lion sighting on the peninsula. police say the big cat was seen about 2:00 in the morning near hastings and club drive in belmont. they say the mountain lion fought and killed another mountain lion in the area and should be considered aggressive. some parents we talked to said they were alerted to be on the lookout bringing their kids to school this morning. >> i got a text saying there was an aggressive mountain lion somewhere out and about near our beautiful open space here in belmont and warning us to be careful dropping off kids at school unattended. so i appreciated getting that.

>> at last check this morning, we did see gaming wardens in the area searching for the big cat. oakland is making a change in the wake of rising crime. still ahead on nbc bay area, the ban city leaders just agreed to. plus, the rollout of new 5g wireless service will be delayed but only near some u.s. airports. we asked our aviation expert about the impact of a potential catastrophic disruption as the faa puts it and what could happen and what that coo mean could mean if we're flying any time soon. a cloudy start to the day in the bay area. right now temps in the 40s and 50s. how will the rest of the week shape out? i'll have the full forecast coming up.

new at 11:00 -- the united states is launching a new effort to try to solve the standoff between russia and ukraine. secretary of state antony blinken met with the ukrainian president today for a diplomatic mission that explained the urgency of the crisis. he reiterated washington's commitment to the country's territorial integrity and said any actions would be met with consequences. he's set to meet with russia's foreign minister on friday. oakland is now cracking down on so-called ghost guns. as expected council members yesterday passed a new ordinance banning not only traceable guns but the possession of ghostable gun parts. they can face up to $-5,000 or six months in jail. one in three firearms received last year was a ghost. today is the day companies

started rolling out their new faster 5g technology but it will be put on hold near airports, with the faa, airlines and pilots warning of potentially catastrophic disruption. what does that mean if you're flying any time soon? i talked to nbc bay area aviation expert mike mccarron. >> for travelers, is this a matter of my phone is not going to be able to work or i can't watch my movie? or is this a matter of the plane i'm on might not be safe in. >> i think the real issue is your plane may not be flying. because the airlines have a bit of concerns now and they have not been convinced all of the concerns are addressed. so the airlines are threatening to cancel and start delaying a lot of flights. that may be a bigger issue than anything else. >> the faa said they're worried about altimeters and as a nonprofessional i understand as the equipment used for takeoff and landing. if this is the concern is faa is

worried about, why can't the government hit pause? >> they send a beacon of energy to tell the pilot how high it is off the ground. and so they need to know exactly how high they are above the terrain. there's concerns between the fcc and faa as to whether the 5g technology will interrupt that signal to aircrafts from the ground. >> the faa is prohibiting the airports from using altimeters at 88 airports but the companies are saying they had no problems in other countries. >> that is correct, in 40 other country it's in existence but they don't tell you it's at lower powered and designed

differently than the u.s. and the u.s. also has a lot more aircraft in the air space than the european union does so it's a lot busier as far as simple aircraft. the issue how they can shut off the antennas within a two-mile buffer, that's a huge ring around three major airports to the bay area. that could take you up 280 hills and if san jose north as far north as levi stadium. >> january 19th has been on the calendar a very long time. so what happens january 19th? >> these are two powerful, very lucrative lobby groups, airline industry and telecommunications industry. one thing to keep in mind who has no power here but not everyone flies but nearly everyone has a cell phone. >> thank you, mike, to put it in perspective so we don't have to be fearful but can understand the big picture. >> so the rollout of 5g technology also signals the gradual elimination of 3g

technology, which mobile providers plan to halt by the end of the year. what does that mean for you? it could impact everything from your phone to the features that you use in your car, which i did not know about. you can check out the full story at nbcbayarea.com. taking a look at san francisco now, that haze took a while to burn off and the sun is down south visiting the south bay. >> yes, cloudy start but it will be slowly clearing. if you look at this shot, you can finally see san francisco. earlier, you couldn't even spot the city behind it because of how dense the shot was. let's look at walnut creek. it also looks pretty good. we, of course, have cloud cover and the strengthening over the next couple days that will not only keep us dry but warmer and also will bring the chance of wind to the bay area. right now things are pretty calm. aside from the clouds and fog,

we are still seeing sort of a slow disappearing of the fog up through nevada and napa, look to this, down to about a quarter of a mile and six miles in san jose, four miles in morgan hill and around the peninsula as well. clear temperatures as you head out the door. it does feel chilly out there, 40s and 50s. right now in san jose it's 51. we have 40s in nerve vadio. so compared to the rest of the nation, this is how we're doing. 51 in san jose but look at green bay, where the 49ers will be playing saturday, and they're at 18 now. they will definitely have to prep for the cold weather expected heading into the big game saturday. overall we're going to notice an increase in the temperatures but, again, no rain in sight. forecasted highs for today will be in the mid-60s through the south bay, 63 in san jose. east bay san jose at 64 and let's head on over to the east bay, 57 for oakland, 51

martinez, 64 in through concord and antioch and around the peninsula, san mateo, 57. if you're heading to the city, it will be cloudy for the first half of the day but eventually get peeks of sunshine. even across part of the north bay, which the fog advisory has been canceled. let's look at the long range. for the rest of january we're still following a sort of dry pattern. any chance of rain stays to the north and south as the high pressure continues to strengthen over the next couple days. that blocks any chance of us getting real rain at least through january. the extended outlook was way out into february, looks like it could be a little more promising. but for now, enjoy the next seven days of pretty much mild temperatures throughout the afternoon and foggy starts during our day into the weekend. it does get a little warmer in the upper 60s for inland areas. >> no excuse for a walk in the

park. mom brain, we all know it is real and it is no joke. and one mother from minnesota has quite the story to prove it. still ahead on nbc bay area, the mix-up she made that's going viral right now. it will have you maybe checking your calendar. happening now, this year's grammy awards are now officially rescheduled. according to the show's organizers, the program will be broadcast live from las vegas at the beginning of april instead of january 31 from los angeles. this is all because of a rise in covid-19 cases. this is the second consecutive year that the grammys have been rescheduled because of covid. we'll be back after the break.

welcome back. you're watching nbc bay area, and these are photos of videos that laura garcia shared with us on instagram. she was lucky enough to go skiing and took us along for the ride to tahoe. don't forget, keep up with laura by following her on instagram, twitter and facebook. nbc bay area olympic winters coverage starts february 3rd. one legendary 49er will be front and center cheering for his favorite team, not talking about team usa, but usa curling team in particular. vernon davis, you might remember, one of the world's biggest curling fans. he's a leading booster. he was an honorary captain at three winter olympic games and

he sounds pretty passionate about it. >> i think when it comes to football and curling, they're both strategic. especially offensively, you set it up, you're running this way too set up the run for the other way or you're running to set up the big play down the field. >> davis says he was first introduced to curling back when he played for the 49ers and loves it to this day. our coverage starts february 3rd. opening ceremonies february 4th. you can watch all of it right here on nbcbayarea.com and also streaming on apple tv and amazon fire. be sure to listen to the full interview with davis by downloading the podcast from nbc lx called "my new favorite olympian" and you can find it wherever you get your podcasts. many listen to this. one minnesota mother is sharing a story on tiktok of a big thing she got wrong two years in a row. and she said it started with a

billing issue and per pediatrician's office telling her her son's birthday was on a different day than she thought. >> i'm about to call up my insurance company to let them have it. i said maybe i should scroll back facebook to look at the birth announcement years ago to make sure. and i just got done doing that. his birthday is indeed the 25th. for two years i have been celebrating his birthday on the 26th. >> that is so hard. remember, her son is only 3 years old. so only two birthdays we're talking about her. she said her due date was the 26th so that might have contributed to the confusion. he's her middle child so as a mom of three, she just might be exhausted. i hope she doesn't beat herself up forever. because that's sucks. >> i'm sure the baby won't remember. it will be a funny story when he gets older. in san francisco your seven-day forecast, wednesday, thursday, friday, our temperatures will remain in the upper 50s but eventually into the 60s and also

even though we're staying dry, we're expecting the wind to pick up. >> thank you so much for joining us. our next newscast is coming up at 5:00. you can get the latest information any time of day at nbcbayarea.com. have a great day and we'll see you tomorrow.

♪♪ right now on "california live," clear out your closets. >> diy designer is showing you how to build your wardrobe for the year. where do we start? >> all you need are markers and creativity. let's do it. legendary songwriter diane warner is here with her new song and oscar with is with me. >> i had been writing this song from the beginning of the pandemic. that came into the song as well, everything people were going through. plus, malou is joining the flu fighters. >> you can do this regardless of health status. and ross is hitting the gas on his