being affected, many states are reporting near-record highs. maryland hospital officials are calling for a limited emergency declaration. in new york city, the fire department has so many out sick, they are reminding people to call 911 only in true emergencies. and everywhere, the drum beat for more testing is growing louder, especially with schools reopening next week. >> testing, testing, testing, testing, all the time. so this is what i think we have to do, and you're seeing this in new york. you're seeing this in d.c. you're seeing this in as many places as we can. >> reporter: test shortages have the federal government scrambling to sign a new contract next week for a half billion free tests, which will start going out to the public in january. in the meantime, two new reports indicate a booster shot of the johnson & johnson vaccine significantly lowers the risk of severe illness from the omicron variant, and health officialed are pleading no matter which vaccine you choose, get your first shot, your second, then