you guys stay safe out there. we appreciate you taking time in the middle of this. thank you. still ahead today, the battle against the omicron variant continues to rage across the country. hospitalizations reaching an all-time high and the cdc just updating its mask guidance. we re going to bring you details on that. we re also continuing to monitor a major winter storm that could dump several inches of snow and ice across much of the country, stretching from the southeast up to new england. that storm hitting the midwest, parts of iowa seeing several inches of snow overnight, and crippling ice is expected to hit the carolinas. that could leave millions of people without power. several governors have declared a state of emergency in anticipation of those severe conditions. we re going to have more details for you on this in just a moment.
will have to wear masks too. we will be dialing up our mask guidance from the mask advisory that has been in place to the mask mandated beginning tomorrow at 6:00 a.m., and i will issue a mayors order that leaves the mask mandate in place through the month of january. jesse: meanwhile chicago mayor lori lightfoot clarified how democrats really feel about the unvaccinated coming his it wasn t already obvious. if you are an vexed your time is up here to quit using her emergency power that she has had for nearly two years, lori lightfoot announced vaccines will be mandatory in the windy city starting on january 3rd. the unvaccinated are affecting the health, well-being and livelihoods of the rest of us. to put it simply, if you have been living without having a
effect on lung disease. that s hopeful. reporter: but the covid surge sparing no corner of the country. this map showing the rapid spread of omicron since mid-december, 99% of counties in the u.s. now reporting high transmission. today, dr. fauci echoing the assessment from the acting head of the fda that most people are going to get covid. what she was referring to is that virtually everybody is going to wind up getting exposed and likely get infected. but if you re vaccinated and if you re boosted, the chances of your getting sick are very, very low. reporter: still, with 750,000 new infections every day, the administration says it s updating its mask guidance and exploring ways to get better masks to americans. we re in the process right now of strongly considering options to make more high quality masks available to all americans. reporter: but for weeks, health experts and cities like new york and los angeles have been urging people to upgrade to more protective masks li
a stark difference there. matt gutman, how soon could the cdc update its mask guidance? reporter: david, health officials with whom i ve spoken tonight say that the cdc could update that guidance as early as the end of the week. now, officials have been urging people to upgrade their masks since omicron, specifically moving away from those cloth masks. health officials also telling us today that they are ramping up production of n-95s to make those available to those who need them. david? matt gutman leading us off tonight. thank you, matt. you heard dr. fauci there talking about the extraordinary nature of this virus. there was also an unexpected and very heated moment today on the hill. dr. fauci talking about the threats against his family, describing them. the man stopped in iowa. and what that man told authorities. and today, when kentucky senator rand paul accused dr. fauci of trying to destroy the reputation of other scientists who disagree with him, dr. fauci saying tha
will have toto wear masks, too. we will be dialing up our mask guidance from the mask advisory that has been in place to the mask mandated beginning tomorrow at 6:00 a.m., and i will issue a mayors order that leaves the mask mandate in place through the month of january. jesse: meanwhile chicago mayor lori lightfoot clarified how democrats really feel about the unvaccinated coming his it wasn t already obvious. if you are unvaxxed your time is up. using her emergency power that she has u had for nearly two years, lori lightfoot announced vaccines will be mandatory in the windy city starting on january 3rd. the unvaccinated are affecting the health, well-being and livelihoods of the rest of us. to put it simply, if you have been living without having a vaccination, it is time for a