beforehand. cnn spoke with several doctors who say hospitals and health care workers are being overwhelmed by the omicron surge. >> to hear that omicron is different and is not cause being immense illness in people is not what we're seeing on the ground. we're seeing our e.r.s flooded with people who are looking for a test but are also sick and want to be evaluate and had find out what's going on so they can protect their family. inside the hospital we're seeing an increase in admissions that is startling. we've more than doubled our admission since last week this time and people are sick. >> it is unlike anything we've ever seen. even at the peak of the prior surges of covid. what we're experiencing right now is an absolute overwhelming of the emergency departments throughout washington, d.c. all our hospitals themselves, the inpatient wards seem to be maintaining. the emergency departments are being flooded with mostly mildly symptomatic patients who are coming in to get tested. and it's part of that shortfall of national testing that's occurring and it's all falling