studied estimated for two people wearing cloth masks, it can take about a half hour to spread the virus from one infected person to an uninfected person in the same room. if they are both wearing surgical masks, it can take about an hour. and if they re both wearing n95 masks, it can take about 25 hours to cause an infection. higher grade masks are really going to protect people, because they not only hav a moree a bet but they also have a better filtration device. and they have an electrostatic potential to actually repel away the virus. super important there. stephanie back with us. i know the white house promised to send out a half billion rapid test kits to homes across the country starting in january. we keep tracking this. it s now january 10th and we re learning this is still weeks away? reporter: yes, david. the first tests will be sent out at the end of january, but by the time all 500 million tests are sent out, the omicron peak
could be on the decline. in the meantime, starting this saturday, americans can buy up to eight at-home rapid tests per month and get reimbursed by insurance. just make sure to keep that receipt. david? that s right. insurance has to cover eight kilts kits a month. stephanie, thank you. ten states under alerts right now. the coldest air of the season. in some places, it could be the coldest in years. temperatures moving into the northeast tonight. in new york city and boston, wind chills well below zero by morning. western new york getting 24 inches of lake effect snow in 24 hours. north of syracuse, covered in snow tonight. whiteout conditions on i-81. dangerous driving, dangerous cold. but again, by tomorrow morning, the wind chill below zero in new york city, it will feel like 14 below in boston. chief meteorologist ginger zee, and ginger, in some places like boston, you were saying, this is going to continue right into the day? reporter: and that s what makes it so significan
i never had any pain like that before, and that pain continued for months. reporter: it wasn t a heart attack, but michelle says she is now at risk of heart failure, and is being closely monitored. just because you kind of sailed through your mild infection doesn t mean that you may not end up with other symptoms or problems later on. > reporter: david, doctors say if you ve had covid, it s more important than ever not to miss that annual physical exam, where your doctor can screen you for basic heart health. david? stephanie ramos tonight. stephanie, thank you. here in new york city tonight, new reporting after a brutal murderer. police say the attacker followed the young woman into her chinatown apartment building. here s abc s erielle reshef now. reporter: tonight, a community in shock after the brutal murder of 35-year-old creative producer christina yuna lee inside her new york city apartment. authorities say the horrible scene unfolded in the early hours sunday mornin
trial of former minnesota police officer kim potter, who says she mistook her gun for her taser. i want to bring in stephanie ramos. what did the jury ask? reporter: david, the jury wanted to know what happens if they cannot agree on a verdict. and what steps should be taken to get there. the judge responding by reading them the jury instructions and telling them they need to discuss the case with one another and, quote, deliberate with a view toward reaching agreement. she also said they should not hesitate to change their opinions if they re convinced, but did not tell them how long they should try. the jury also asking the judge if the zip ties holding the gun to the evidence box could be removed. the judge approving that request and, david, at this hour, we can hear protesters right outside that courthouse. david? stephanie ramos tonight, thank you for the update. when we come back here, the mall lockdown, crowded with holiday shoppers. and those important recalls tonight.
the, quote, reckless handling of a firearm and culpable negligence by potter. members of the jury, this was no little oopsie. this was a colossal screwup. a blunder of epic proportions. it was irreversible and it was fatal. reporter: the jury will now have access to all the evidence presented during the trial. that includes the gun and the taser. they ll be able to see and hold both. the jury will be fully sequestered during these deliberations, david. stephanie ramos tonight, thank you. and when we come back here, the disappearance of that college student, now found a week later. she was being held captive. thinkorswim® by td ameritrade is more than a trading platform. it s an entire trading experience. with innovation that lets you customize interfaces, charts and orders to your style of trading.