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season pandemic. plus, the life and legacy of desmond tutu, the nobel peace prize winning, anti-apartheid leader with a look at how he is being remembered. live from cnn center, this is cnn newsroom with kim brunhuber. as we approach the new year, it s looking more like 2021 will end the same way it began, centered around covid. daily new cases fueled by the omicron variant are spiking. racing towards highs not seen since last january. hospitalizations are also rising, although nowhere near levels seen during recent surges. and covid-related deaths are also up. and this is the scene at testing sites around the country. look at this. long lines with people often having to wait hours to get tested. the white house is facing increased criticism over its handling of covid testing. here s what top health expert dr. anthony fauci had to say. we should be using testing much more extensively than we have, even in a situation where you have people who are vaccinated or ....
trouble for air travelers. crime and punishment, calls for leniency are growing after a truck driver is sentenced to more than 100 years in prison for a deadly crash. we begin with the omicron variant surging across the u.s. the seven-day average of new coronavirus cases is near 200,000 a day. that is up 166% in the last month, nearly the record numbers from last january. the most important metric, hospitalizations, are steadily rising with more than 71,000 americans sick enough to need hospital care right now. tragically, more than 1,400 americans are dying each day from covid. and with people gathering for holiday celebrations, this surge is expected to worsen. listen to what dr. anthony fauci told cnn this morning. we re certainly going to continue to see a surge for a while. i fully expect it will turn around. i hope it turns around as sharply as what we ve seen in south africa. now, testing centers across america are seeing very long lines with some people ....
gatherings also waiting hours for covid tests. president biden trying to reassure americans on a call earlier today with the national governors association. this is not like march of 2020, the beginning of the pandemic. we are prepared and we know what it takes to save lives, protect people, and keep schools and businesses open. we just have to stay focused and continue to work together. gillian: fox team coverage starts right now. got dr. nicole saphier on the ticking clock and what the future may look like. mike: first, rich edson live at the white house. hello, rich. good afternoon, mike. this method was also for unvaccinated americans to get their shot to keep them out of the hospital. this also comes as the administration is focusing on a massive testing program, three tests to be sent out to americans likely not coming until next month. if we had known, we would have gone harder and quicker if we could have. because steps would have to be taken to increa ....
and a tale of two coasts, as part of the west sees heavy snow and bitter cold temperatures, parts of the east could see record-breaking heat. where we re seeing summer-like temperatures in your forecast. there is a day not too long ago when i had to stop and think, when they come in with handcuffs and they come in with a warrant for my arrest. librarians afraid of being fired, or worse, just for doing their jobs. why some say they re being targeted and how they re now fighting back. we re so grateful to have you this sunday deshgs 26th. i hope that christmas hangover isn t too bad. appreciate you starting your morning with us. we begin with the u.s. racing toward a record number of daily new covid cases fueled by the fast-spreading omicron variant. in some parts of the country hospitals are stretched thin as emergency rooms and icu beds begin to fill up. more than 71,000 americans are hospitalized with covid-19. the increase in cases also causing major travel disr ....
disruptions this holiday weekend. several major u.s. airlines have canceled more than 1,000 flights over staffing issues. so if you re planning a last-minute trip home, you re going to want to check your flight status, if you can get one. and amid all of this, don t forget what health experts have been saying for months, vaccines and boosters are keeping people from getting severely sick. and right now they are our only way out of this. let s begin with cnn s alison kosik, who is in new york. sear surging cases causing disruptions around the country. reporter: yes, but the biggest hurdle for so many people this christmas has been the struggle to get tested for covid-19. the race has really been on for millions of americans to get a test before traveling or joining family gatherings. here in new york we saw long lines over the past week, people waiting in the cold. also raleigh, north carolina, miles were a mile long. look at these pictures. this was christmas eve, wit ....