private businesses. no one thinks of this as the holiday season that we were hoping for but contrast it to last year. it is so much better. reporter: also better, hospitalizations are not rising as quickly as feared and they re recommending the ten day isolation for people testing positive. the idea about cutting down the period of quarantine for people exposed and perhaps the period of isolation for people who have been infected is something that is under i would say serious consideration. reporter: still for now the virus keeps hammering hospitals, patients and staff alike. 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 locker rooms. brand-new rules allow for the championship itself to be delayed or decided by forfeit if
under, i would say, serious consideration. reporter: still, for now, the virus keeps hammering hospitals, patients and staffs alike. 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 locker 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: simply put, the pandemic once again has everything in flux despite most americans doing the right thing and getting vaccinated. and we have been living this way for a while. they predict the omicron winter surge could last six to eight weeks. jake? tom foreman, thanks. let s go to one of the testing sites with leyla