nurses, respiratory therapists, other practicing health individuals and healthcare who are getting to the end of their rope as far as being able to care for patients. the high mental health risk of being almost like in a war zone. reporter: deaths are also spiking, up 33% from last week. the u.s. now averaging more than 1,600 new deaths each day. new cases averaging over about three quarters of a million a day. this as the cdc reportedly weighs updating its mask guidance to encourage people to wear n95 or k n95 masks which provide better filtration to help curb omicron s spread, according to the washington post. omicron is likely not to be the last curveball this virus throws at us, but we have the tools to prevent further spread of this virus. this means for everyone 5 and older, please get vaccinated. for those 12 and older, get your
reporter: plus a rare rebuke for a couple of senators from fauci s employer. it s disappointing and frankly unacceptable that republican senators chose to spend a hearing spreading conspiracy theories and lies about dr. fauci rather than how to protect people from covid-19. now with that rampant omicron variant still spreading, the cdc is getting ready to update its mask guidance on its website to include details of the different levels of protection that the different masks offer. we also heard from the white house. they are, quote, in the process right now of strongly considering options on how to get more good masks out to the american people. definitely a bit of a whiff of too little, too late. jake? nick watt, thanks so much. joining us live to discuss, chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta. both dr. fauci and the acting fda commissioner this week have
home tests from the government. this comes as members of president biden s own party are questioning the rollout and how quickly those tests could actually turn the tide on infections. the tests coming at an already desperate moment. look at that graphic right there. hospitalizations now at an all time high during this pandemic at more than 155,000. that means icus are quickly filling up and more than a dozen states reporting less than 15% less than 15% remaining capacity in those icus. more now on the cdc s updated mask guidance. cnn chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta looking at which masks are best and why. in the united states we are being drenched with omicron, a variant so contagious it has caused daily cases to double in the past two weeks. now, just like you would put on a better raincoat in a bad storm, we need better masks more
making sure no air is escaping around your eyes, cheeks or chin. studies have shown that cloth masks can have about 75% leakage. a surgical mask 50%. but with an n95 it can go down to as low as 1%. even with the cdc s updated mask guidance there is still no explicit recommendation to wear an n95. however, on thursday president joe biden announced a step in the right direction. next week we will announce how we are making high quality masks available to the american people for free. if you buy your own the achlg cost of an n95 is just under $2. that s according to project n95 a nonprofit dedicated to educating people about high-filtration masks, but how to pick the right one can be bewildering. there are more than 6,000 different models of niosh approved respirators, the
good enough reason. all right. i appreciate maybe not the real reason. right. right. and we shall see. but i thank both of you very much. i appreciate you. and next, the breaking news. we are learning the cdc is preparing to update its mask guidance. wow. how far are they gonna go? and which way? the u.s. surgeon general is next. plus, the chairman of the january 6th select committee reveals they want to speak to trump s longtime friend and former-attorney general former attorney, i m sorry, rudy giuliani. but could he be forced to cooperate? and a new twist surrounding novak djokovic. img immigration officials now investigating whether the tennis star lied on travel documents before flying to australia. [ awada ] the health of our teeth plays a significant role in our overall health. chantell was suffering, and we had to put an end to that. the absolute best way to do that was through dental implants. [ chantell ] clearchoice dental implants changed everything. my dige