c coren. this is cnn newsroom. why the suggested quarantine period has been slashed in half. a 14-year-old girl killed by police while shopping for a birthday dress. the moments that led up to the heartbreaking shooting. and christmas with covid. how some kept the holiday cheer alive despite testing positive . despite a surge of covid cases in the u.s., the centers for disease control is issuing new guidelines to shorten the isolation time for people who test positive for the virus. the cdc now recommends people can stop isolating after five days rather than ten. if they don't have symptoms and they wear a mask for another five days. experts say transmission usually happens early in the course of the illness, a day or two prior to symptoms and two to three days after. the number of children admitted to hospitals with covid is up 35% in just the past week. new york city has seen a five-fold increase this month. meanwhile, sickouts from covid have forced airlines to cancel or delay thousands of flights worldwide. the infectious disease expert in the u.s., says the administration is working hard to increase access to testing across the country. >> it's a combination of people concerns appropriately about omicron, which is spreading so rapidly, as well as the fact that we're in the holiday season and people want to get tested before they start mingling with their family and their friends and traveling. so, it really has made a major upsurge in demand for the tests, when we are already in a situation where, quite frankly, we don't have enough tests at this particular point in time. >> we're getting reports from our correspondents around the globe on all of the coronavirus developments. we begin with cnn's tom foreman in washington. >> reporter: the cdc announcementen isolation time came hours after president biden admitted to the nation governors, covid testing has not kept pace with the omicron threat. >> it's not enough. if i had known, we would have gone harder, quicker. >> reporter: with covid cases soaring, more than 2,000 flights were grounded worldwide, nearly 3,000 delayed in the u.s. just today. at sea, several cruise ships have been affected, turned away from ports, in all, dampening the festivities. >> they weren't enforcing masks until a lot of people were getting covid and they were enforcing masks more. i don't think i'll go on a cruise again honestly, at this point. >> reporter: as the omicron variant rages, testing lines are stretching out and tests running short in some places. new york city is enforcing a covid vaccine mandate for private businesses. >> no one thinks this is the holiday season we were hoping for. but contrast it to last year. it's so much better. >> reporter: also better, hospitalizations are not rising as quickly as feared. in many places, patients and staff alike are staggering against the surge. >> we have, as of this morning, 115 staff members out ill with covid, who have tested positive. >> reporter: even the holiday fun and games are getting shaky, with five college football bowl games canceled or scrambling to find new teams as covid rips through rock erlocker rooms. brand-new rules allow for the championship itself to be delayed or decided by forfeit, if necessary. although nobody wants that. >> everybody wants to play. the players are looking out for themselves, they really are. >> reporter: if you have plans to be out on new year's eve, you might want to rethink that and brace yourselves. health officials say the omicron winter surge could last six to eight weeks. tom foreman, cnn, washington. an interim medicine official at california pacific medical center and the founder of endworldproject.org. she joins me from california. great to have you with us. let's start with the cdc, reducing isolation periods from ten to five days. why are they doing this at a time when cases are surging across the united states? >> this change in recommendation for both isolation and quarantine was made really by looking at the science, which indicates that while omicron is certainly more contagious, the majority of transmission of the virus happens early in the course of illness. usually in one to two days before the onset of symptoms and the two to three days after. regardless of vaccination status, people that test positive should isolate for five days, as we heard. if they don't have symptoms at that time, they can leave isolation, if they can continue to wear a mask for five more days, to minimize the risk of infecting other people. big shift here from cdc, based on the ziescience, in an effort minimize interruption of work and of school of our daily lives. >> sure, it's based on the science. isn't there a risk of spreading the virus, considering the infectious period can vary, as you say. mainly, a few days. but it can go up to a few weeks. >> you know, it certainly can. but that's not the majority of cases, of course. one thing i would say, if you have access to a rapid test, by all means, use it. this is extra information so people can make the best decisions to stop the spread of the virus to others. if you have symptoms, plan to continue to stay home. these tests are in short supply in many parts of the country. i expect there to be many more available in january. that doesn't help the people that are infected right now. that's why the current recommendation is to leave isolation only if you don't have symptoms and to continue to wear a mask for five more days to lower the risk of infecting people. >> let's talk about the rapid antigen tests. there are people calling for the five-day isolation period to get one of those tests. this has not been recommended by the cdc, why not? >> that's a great question. i can't speak for the cdc. i suspect it's a shortage of tests, as i mentioned. we think it comes in the first and second week of january. president biden has spoken to this last week, there will be many more tests available. that doesn't help the infected right now. we have to proceed with caution and with the current recommendation of leaving isolation, again, only if you're asymptomatic and continuing to wear a mask for five more days to lower the risk of getting other people sick. >> doctor, one health official said that people should brace themselves for a tough january. what are you predicting in the weeks ahead? >> you know, it's hard to make predictions. we're often wrong. because omicron is so transmisible, it's spreading like wildfire. there's optimistic signs coming from europe and south africa, it may cause less severe illness. but the very real concern here, is that omicron spreads so fast, that our hospitals could be overwhelmed. here's the thing, our massive numbers of people that were infected all at once, and just a small percentage require hospitalization, that's really a large number of people. and that could collapse hospital systems, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. we do expect every health care worker will be essential in the coming weeks. but what i'm worried about is what happens when more of us get sick and need to isolate at home. 20% of health care workers, during south africa's surge fell ill. that's starting to happen here. you can only receive medical care if there's enough beds and hands and supplies to go around. we need everyone's help. and we truly are all still in this together. >> doctors, nurses, health officials are burnt out, considering they have been fighting this for the past two years. there is clear evidence that a booster, a third shot, will lift the immunity to about 75%. and israel is studying the effectiveness of a fourth vaccine dose. what are your thoughts about this? >> to date, we know that immunity waynes over a period o months. or a third shot, or booster dose, is the best way to protect yourself from having a severe case. among the highest risk people, another booster may prove to be the right call. the whole world the watching israel. we'll see what the data show. here in the u.s., the fact remains that tens of millions of people are unvaccinated and only 30% or so of eligible americans have received a booster dose. this is a real problem, given everything i've said and that we know that boosters are the best way to reduce severe illness from omicron. we have a lot of work to do. >> doctor, great to get your perspective, your insight and we appreciate everything you're doing. >> thank you for having me. let's turn our attention to china now, where authorities are racing to contain a growing outbreak in the city of xian. we go live to beijing. this is a city of 13 million people where cases are rising. what are authorities doing to tackle this outbreak? >> reporter: the authorities in xian are doing what counterparts and other parts of china have done with local outbreaks, as the beijing leadership are agreeing to stick to a zero covid policy, mass testing and quarantining. officials are putting on a brave face, saying the alarming numbers we've seen, triple-digit numbers of new locally transmitted infections, 175 reported on monday, a record for chinese city since march of 2020. they say these kind of numbers is only to be expected as we conduct city-wide testing for 13 million residents. as they keep doing these testings, these numbers will stabilize and start decreasing according to experts with some predicting this outbreak, a major one, will come to an end in a month. this metropolis remains a strict lockdown. travel in and out of the city has been halted. within the city, public transportation and most public venues have been closed with most people confined to their homes. the city's top officials have said what the city needs to do right now is to come to a complete standstill as the government focuses on containing this virus in the city and also stops its spread to other parts of china. this kind of draconian measures, obviously, only possible in the top-down power structure like china. officials say this strategy has been working well for them and pointing to the spread of the omicron variant in other parts of the world, which has caused massive flight cancellations. but in this country, sudden, massive flight cancellations has been a new norm for many travelers for wquite some time. when new cases emerge, local authorities almost immediately shut down the airport. and that includes xian, a major aviation hub. it handled 31 million passengers last year. and now, that major aviation hub is almost abandoned as all domestic flights are canceled last week. >> appreciate the update. thank you. stray bullets killed a teenager at a store in california. now, police are releasing surveillance and body cam video showing what led up to the shooting. and from heartbreaking legal cases to an alarming rise in gun violence. we'll look at the top ten crimes in justice headlines in 2021. what does it feel like to sell your car to carvana? 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[ gunfire ] >> one of the bullets fired by one of the officers skipped off the floor and went through the drywall, into a dressing room. the 14-year-old was there. she was hiding with her mother, hugging her mother and praying, according to her family. the lapd did not recover a gun from this attacker. >> the retained victim was reportedly from chile. she was in the u.s. learning english and studying to become a resident. her uncle says he feels dead inside. >> translator: they took away her american dream. they took this girl's american dream away. everyone fled the dressing rooms. and unfortunately, the bullet caught her when she was hugging her mum and praying. they killed her. they're supposed to be the best police department in the world and they shot her. >> 2021 is on-pace to be one of the worst years for gun violence in the u.s. the gun violence prevent group of america, said historic trends from 2020 continued in 2021. and gun violence headlines continued over the summer. g we look at some of the biggest crimes including the most heart wrenching case of 2021. >> reporter: a musician behind bars, a manhunt that gripped the nation. a call for social justice, finally answered. all part of some of the most gripping crime and justice stories of 2021. number ten, in june, prominent south carolina attorney alex murdaugh says he discovered the bodies of his wife and son. a few months later told police he was shot in the head. >> reporter: a prominent attorney resigned from his law firm and police say he arranged for a hit man to kill him so his son could collect millions in life insurance. >> death, murders, allegations of thefts of millions of dollars from his former law firm and clients. >> reporter: he is facing criminal charges and more than two dozen financial crimes. but the murders of his wife and son remain unsolved. he denies any involvement. next at number nine -- >> bill cosby is a free man this morning. >> reporter: in june, pennsylvania's supreme court overturned bill cosby's 2018 conviction of aggravated indecent assault. charges he repeatedly denied. the case marked the first high-profile celebrity criminal trial of the #metoo era. >> justices explaining their decision, saying cosby was promised immunity for exchange of testimony in a civil case. a decade later, a different prosecutor used his testimony against him in a criminal trial. >> well, i'm sad and i'm feeling like this is a loss for me and for the other women who came forward. >> reporter: in a rare move, prosecutors are now asking the u.s. supreme court to review the overturned conviction. number eight, r. kelly convicted. >> breaking news in our national league. r. kelly was found guilty this afternoon. >> reporter: jurors found r. kelly guilty of racketeering, including sexual exploitation of a child and charges of sex trafficking. kelly has been defending his innocence for years. now, he faces up to life in prison. at sentencing, which is scheduled for next year. number seven, the rise of shocking incidents involving airline passengers becoming violent. some over refusing to wear masks. and attacking flight attendants. this man even needing to be duct taped to his seat. >> sit down now. >> reporter: the faa has announced abusive and unruly passengers can face federal penalties as high as $45,000. number six, another alarming trend. 2021 is on-pace to be one of the worst years for deadly gun violence in decades. >> at least 150 americans are dead and more than 380 wounded after an outburst of gun violence over the weekend. >> a tragic milestone for the city of philadelphia. 500 homicides so far this year. >> cnn analysis of 40 of the most populous cities of the u.s., has nine that set homicide records four years in. >> reporter: there's a factors behind the rise, including high gun sales, fewer cops and shifting police resources, changes in the court system and the pandemic. it was a mystery and a manhunt that gripped the nation. number five. >> hello, hello. good morning. >> reporter: in june, 22-year-old gabby petite toe and her fiance, brian laundrie, set out on a cross-country road trip. the couple documenting the adventures on social media. >> but her texts stopped abruptly in late august, about two weeks after this incident in moab, utah, on august 12th, when police pulled the couple over after receiving a 911 call about a possible domestic dispute. >> reporter: they had a clip of pe petito's van. laundrie returned home to his family house in florida when petito was missing. then, he vanished. >> the fbi is confirming the remains found are those of brian laundrie. >> reporter: the story ignited calls for other missing persons, especially indigenous and african-american victims to garner the same attention. number four, a killing spree in georgia that rattled the asian american community. 21-year-old robert aaron long allegedly opened fire on three asian spas, leaving eight dead, six were asian women. >> at the moment, you can see the palpable anxiety of this community. >> reporter: investigators said long had been a customer at two of the locations before the shootings. he was charged in two counties. in one, he has pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and was s sentenced to four life sentences. but in another, prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. our next two stories high-profile trials that put race and justice, self-defense and vigilanteism in the spotlight. >> breaking news, the jury finding kyle rittenhouse not guilty on all charges. >> rittenhouse was 17 years old when he shot a man and wounded a third, that he brought to racial justice protests in august of 2020. >> reporter: dozens of witnesses came to the stand over the course of six days. >> there's not a crowd, a mob, was chasing me. i continued to run after hearing people say -- people were saying, i'm going to get him. kill him. i can't do anything wrong. i defended myself. >> reporter: after 25 hours of deliberations -- >> we, the jury, find the defendant, kyle r. rittenhouse, not guilty. >> reporter: the jury acquitted rittenhouse of all charges. number two, it was a trial that nearly never happened. but a mother and a movement made sure it did. ahmad or bury was shot and culled in brunswick, georgia. at the time, no charges were filed. >> it took 74 days. 74 days to get an arrest. >> reporter: the three men who chased and shot arbery claiming self-defense. >> you can't force someone to defend themselves against you. >> we find the defendant greg mcmichael guilty. >> reporter: the day before thanksgiving, those three men were convicted of murder. their claim of self-defense rejected by a nearly all-white jury. and number one -- >> find the defendant guilty. >> this feels like we can breathe. feels like a new day in america. >> reporter: the trial of derek chauvin. the former minneapolis police officer found guilty of murdering george floyd, this spring, the trial. video of chauvin with his knee on floyd's neck for nine minutes, played over and over for jurors. >> i don't have a moment. >> if a police officer can do this, what can't they do to us? what can't they do to our children? that's what's at stake here. >> the former police officer, derek chauvin, guilty on all three counts. >> reporter: chauvin never took the stand in his defense. jurors say it would not have made a difference. >> he had no noise but to give up. he shut all of the oxygen off in his body. my brother, man. he didn't deserve it. but he has changed the world. outbreaks of the omicron variant have airlines and passengers scrambling to adjust travel plans at the last minute. after the break, expert tips for traveling during the pandemic. wd see the details of your great-grandparents wedding day... ...or the record that welcomed your great-grandmother to the world. yourur family story is waiting to be discovered, and now you can search for those fascininating detais for free—at ancestry. hi, i'm steve and i live in 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and prevention is revising its guidelines for people recovering from covid. it says five days of isolation is enough as long as a person has no symptoms and continues to wear a mask for the next five days. the top infectious disease expert in the u.s., dr. anthony fauci, says he will dismiss the need for a vaccine mandate for air travel, at least for now. the omicron variant is causing big problems for the airline industry. thousands of flights were canceled at the last minute, due to staffing shortages, leaving passengers stranded after christmas, just wanting to get home. we have more from new york. >> reporter: more than 1,300 flights canceled on monday and hundreds more expected on tuesday, as airlines try to keep up with crew members and pilots calling out sick because of the coronavirus. they're moving crews around, trying to get passengers home after the holiday weekend, which saw thousands more cancellations. of course, all of this coming as the omicron virus continues to spread through the country. the big question that was asked of dr. fauci, if passengers should be vaccinated. should there be a mandate for passengers to be vaccinated. here's what he said. >> everything that comes up as a possibility, we put it on the table and we consider it. that does not mean that it is going to be likely to happen. right now, i don't think people should expect that we're going to have a requirement in domestic flights for people to be vaccinated. when i was asked that question, i gave an honest answer. it's on the table. >> reporter: with the new cdc guidelines shortening the amount of time that people needed to quarantine or isolate because of the coronavirus, that could help the airlines ease is staffing shortages they now have. >> easing is travel chaos won't happen overnight. richard quest explains why airlines will continue to face challenges in the coming weeks. >> reporter: it is not a surprise that the largest number of cancellations are in the united states and china. china is locked down to outsiders, therefore the domestic industry has managed to continue. whilst in the united states, there's been a huge upswing of travel demand, as things get back to normal. however, the airlines are working on thin margins in terms of staffing shortages. so, when the staff started calling in sick with covid or isolating or in quarantine, well, that's when the effects were truly felt. in europe, not so many cancellations. that's because the industry isn't fully back on its feet. so, now, you've got airlines like lufthansa that are announcing cancellations for the winter schedule, not because they don't have the staff, but because bookings are down as a result of omicron. overall, the airline industry is once again trying to do its best, trying to keep things going and essentially trying not to lose more money. but it's flying into some very heavy weather and it doesn't seem like that's going to change anytime soon. richard quest, cnn, london. traveling during the pandemic means plans can be disrupted at any point. cnn has gathered some expert travel tips to put you at ease if you encounter delays. avoid getting trapped at the airport. check your flight status from your home or hotel, so you don't have to wait at the airport. if you're already at the airport, speak with an airline agent as soon as you find out your flight's been rescheduled. representatives often operate on a first-come/first-serve basis. next, ask for hotel accommodations if your flight is delayed overnight and you're out of town. however, airlines may have different policies on this matter. and finally, be open to rescheduling your trip. you may be eligible for free flight changes without penalty. you can find these tips and more on our website, cnn.com. coming up, thailand is preparing for myanmar's violence to cross their border after dozens of people were killed on friday. we'll head to the region for the latest on the conflict there. 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u.n. is calling for an investigation. tell us what have you learned? >> it was such tragic news christmas eve as you know, what happened there, more than 30 people killed, massacre. so, including two staff from save the children. so, many women and children failed. and a member of the victim's family, she said, you know, they killed the human beings on fire, alive. such tragic news on christmas eve. and for the burmese military, they have been doing that kind of thing for so long during the burmese civil war. >> i want to talk to you about this. but first, you know, save the children employees are, as you say, believed to be among the dead. this is an organization that's been operating in myanmar since 1995. what does this mean for other ngos operating in myanmar? >> you know, it's really dangerous for them. they can't really do their job. just like back in the situation there, too. compared to that, it's still the same. they are in danger, working as ngos, valueolunteers. they are in danger, on the ground, on the field. >> we know, as you say, fighting as been going on for decades in myanmar. but do you believe that there are other massacres occurring across the country that the world hasn't seen? >> yeah, of course. in the first week of december, they killed at least ten people, villagers. so, they killed -- that's massacre. t they've done it so many times. during this christmas season, the news that burmese people are reading every day is tragic news, massacres, military troops killed, shot, burned down the village. you know, they set humans alive, on fire. so, those news every day that burmese people are reading those news every day. >> and you are based in on the thai/myanmar border, where there's been heavy fighting. can you tell us about what you have been witnessing? >> many people fleed the border, across the border. and thousands of refugees in thailand. yeah, the refugees, they need help. men and women, and they need also medicines, as well here. a lot of, you know, refugees coming across the river every day. so, more are coming. >> okay. >> so, the fighting -- the burmese military, they bomb the villages. you know, on the ground, they fire heavily, every day. >> yes. we have been hearing the reports of this. you went to -- i'm sorry. we are going to have to leave it there. thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you. coming up, the u.s. is seeing record high and low temperatures from coast-to-coast. we'll have the latest forecast. that's ahead. plus, families go to great lengths to stay together for christmas after one of them tests positive for covid. we'll see how they kept their holiday cheer while also keeping their distance. so we offer a complete exam and x-rays free to new patients without insurance - everyday. plus, patients get 20% off their treatment plan. we're on your corner and in your corner every step of the way. because your anything is our everything. aspen dental. anything to make you smile. book today at 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hurricane ida which made landfall in louisiana in september caused insured losses of $65 billion and 95 deaths. these floods which hit europe in july were responsible for $43 billion and 240 lives. and this flooding in china in the same month cost $17.5 billion and killed more than 300 people. from extreme cold in the west to unusually warm weather in the southeast. parts of the united states are seeing record breaking temperatures this week. along with frigid temperatures in the northwest close, heavy snow has been falling in the mountains of northern california, causing traffic delays and dangerous road conditions. cnn meteorologist joins me now with the latest and to explain what is going on. hello. >> what an cyincredible set-up r spring lake warmth, in some cases, even approaching summer-like warmth across the southern united states, while back toward the western u.s., it an entirely different story with the significant amount of snow that has accumulated, the significant amount of rain into southern california. a stark contrast to what was taking place in the last few months. and all of it turning to a switch and bringing with it an impressive run of wintry weather. even 100 meter snow depths across portions of the sierra nevada, and parts of 11 states and the western half of the united states under these winter weather alerts. when you look at how things have played out. in some cases these are very beneficial. look at california. the snowiest december on record taking place there. 1 people in feet, about 59 meters of snow has come down across portions of the sierra. prior to that, the previous record from the 1970s was 179 feet. about 55 meters. a lot of this beneficial, especially when you consider about 40% of california's drinking water is from sierra snow melt. so that's great news going into the spring season. the flooding in california has been very impressive, and in the pacific northwest. unusually cold by their standards. down to minus 8 on monday morning. keep in mind seattle set the all-time hot record in june when it was 42 degrees above and now 8 below. the widest spread of temperatures in one year taking place across the northwest. now, in the eastern united states, almost 200 record temps on the opposite end of the scale, running 10 to 20 degrees above average taking place. this all comes in with the severe weather wednesday into thursday. another round of tornadoes possible in the southern u.s. and we saw how things played out in december so something we're watching here. >> wow! that is certainly warm in atlanta. much more than here in hong kong. many thanks. some families didn't let a little thing like a positive covid test get in the way of their holiday festivities. as jeanie moos reports, they celebrated safely apart. but together, some creative solutions. >> reporter: santa is not the only one who got decked out for the holidays. ♪ all by myself ♪ >> reporter: nothing shameful about the covid hut of shame unless you're a brother teasing your sister while making it is possible to join in the festivities. best brothers ever, someone posted. you all still going to get it, commented someone else. but the griswolds weren't the only ones letting the holiday turn negative. >> let me in! do not let her in! >> even dad got into the teasing as matt maddie haines donned something called the under the weather shield that her mom bought on amazon at the beginning of the pandemic. >> some people are like, can she breathe? >> the texas family had dinner outdoors. >> it was my sister's idea. she wanted to be in the shield. hey, guys, like what i found? why don't i put this on and we stay outside? >> reporter: and this guy -- anthony, just stayed outside the window at his michigan family's home. cake and presents were left outside for him like cookies for santa. in ireland accident thomas post this photo of his brother peter in a van outfitted with a table and lights. peter had a close covid contact so he just pulled the van up to the window and dined alongside the others while the others were inside. it's a weird holiday. being handed presents using a grab-it. and hopes covid can't reach the rest of the family. cnn, new york. >> nothing is going to dampen the covid spirit. thanks for watching. cnn, the newsroom continues next. we're carvana, the company who invented car vending machines and buying a car 100% online. now we've created a brand-new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old. we wanna buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate answer a few questions. and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way at carvana. when you have xfinity, you have entertainment built in. which is kind of nice. ah, what is happening. binge-watching is in 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[cheering] that was awesome. and, the hits won't quit, with peacock premium included at no additional cost. all that entertainment built in. xfinity. a way better way to watch. hello. a warm welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. this is cnn newsroom. as the omicron variant surges across the united states, the cdc decided now is the time to cut isolation and quarantine time in half. a 14-year-old girl out shopping for a birthday dress shot and killed by police. we'll show you the hard to watch body cam footage released by the lapd. plus, the late