i don t think that i don t think that s right. i think just about everybody will be exposed to the virus since it s so ubiquitous now. i do not think that the american public should expect that if you re triple vaxed everyone is destined to contract the virus. many people will if you contract the virus and you are well-vaccinated, you should be fine. but i do not think that we need to just throw our hands up in the air and say, look, we re all going to get it so let s just let it burn through the country. if we do that, our hospitals will be swamped. if we let this virus go through our communities, our hospitals which in many parts of the country right now like minnesota and michigan are really struggling. not only will they not be able to handle the surge of covid patients who need to be admitted, even if even if omicron is less severe than delta, and we don t know for sure that it is ehaven if it s less severe than delta the sheer number of patients that it
physician, would you still have this viewpoint, this stand against the vaccine mandates? and when you talk to people in indiana in your home state who don t want to get vaccinated, what are those conversations like? yeah, i don t think my viewpoint was any different, you know, when i was a practicing physician, whether it s covid or other things that the federal government would mandate. i don t think my position really has changed. when i talk to people who don t want to get the vaccine they just have legitimate concerns about the safety profile of the vaccine even though i ve tried to convince people yes, there are isolated cases of vaccine reactions. but statistically the risk of the vaccine is very, very low. and efficacy, whether or not it s effective. you know, some of the break through cases people say, see, you can still get it. well, that is true but you don t get hospitalized and you don t get really, really sick. so both of those things people just don t think it s necessa
coming. we didn t see omicron coming. with christmas and new year s eve fast approaching more than 20 million americans are expected to flyover the next two weeks. there are concerns all that holiday travel will super charge the spread. so let s dive into the numbers. right now close to 73% of americans have received at least one vaccine shot. 61% are fully vaccinated, and 18% have received a booster shot. think about this as we start to see more omicron cases, vaccine doses are down more than 20% in just the last week. we re starting to see cases rising once again nationwide especially in the northeast, midwest and south. on friday more than 21,000 people tested positive for covid in new york. the most there since the start of the pandemic. hospitalizations are starting to climb once again. nearly 70,000 in the hospital right now. those numbers have been going up for the past two months.
tokyo. covid-19 cases are hitting new records in new south wales and the spread made worse by the omicron variant. meanwhile south korea is reporting record numbers of covid-19 patients in critical condition. health officials there say that the medical system is at risk of reaching its limit. new restrictions will only allow four people in private gatherings in the greater seoul area. and to new zealand, it s be becoming one of the most vaccinated countries in the world with 90% of its eligible population fully vaccinated. the country is set to start a phased reopening of its borders in january after being shut for nearly two years. thanks to our correspondents around the world for that. and pending holiday travel and the rapid spread of the omicron variant have many people worried about another massive pandemic wave. i spoke earlier with cnn medical
to give boosters at the moment. the covid case surge the biggest test yet for the biden administration. we re unvaccinated. we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death. why the vice president says the white house didn t see these variants coming. meantime, spiking cases forcing holiday shows to shutter and upending the return of live pro sports. i believe we re facing major c cancellations. tonight the country s top covid advisers reminding america that science can and will save us. we have the tools to do it, but we need the american people to do their part, to protect themselves. we will win this war with this virus. i m pamela brown in washington. you re in the cnn newsroom. and tonight america on alert in the face of an alarming new