i m still smiling over commander in leash. yeah. we have more of those this morning. don t you worry. i can t wait. good morning to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. it is tuesday, december 21st. the omicron variant has taken over. it is now the most dominant strain of covid in the u.s., making up more than 73% of new infections. according to the cdc, they just released those numbers, that s 21 days after the first case was identified here. new york has seen a three-fold increase in covid cases in the past week. new jersey reporting the highest number of daily positive cases in almost a year. but the good news, out of both new york and new jersey and this is really important although they are rising, they are not seeing a drastic jump in hospitalizations yet. we re going to speak to a new york hospital official in a moment who will tell us they have plenty of capacity, at least for now. this is not 2020, he says. we are learning of the fi
cnn has learned the president will announce the purchase of half a billion at-home rapid tests and a new plan to distribute them free to americans who request them. this as 73% of cases in the u.s. are now the highly contagious omicron variant, outpacing delta as the dominant strain. that s up sixfold in just a week. now, so far it appears most cases of omicron are relatively mild but it s so contagious it is crippling already overwhelmed hospitals. the resurgence has the nhl on ice. the entire season will be put on hold starting tomorrow till at least after christmas. let s bring in jasmine wright in washington. the there is covid exhaustion, now there is this. the vaccine is unreachable. what is the white house plan here? reporter: well, christine, a major part of the plan is making those 500 million tests free and available to americans. now, this kind of is a reversal from the white house who made light really of sending free tests to americans when asked why they
Campaigned on a promise to target trump, and that is the basis of their lawsuit. they argue that she is violating trump s constitutional rights and abusing her office to pursue her own political aims. now, james has responded in a statement, saying, quote, to be clear, neither mr. trump nor the trump organization get to dictate if and where they will answer for their actions. our investigation will continue undeterred red because no one i above the law, not even someone with the name trump. paula reid, thank you very much. new overnight, the nhl putting its season on ice. at least briefly in response to the covid outbreak. details behind the decision. and new york hospitals bracing for a surge of new patients as cases of the omicron variant skyrocket. we ll speak with one hospital official who says there is reason this morning to be optimistic.
From that remark, flip remark to reality, in just a couple weeks scenes like this are playing out everywhere. in mess a, mesa, arizona, covid-19 tests are flying out the door. i think it s a great idea. additional peace of mind even though we re all vaccinated and boostered. i m actually spending the holidays with my family. i ve got older uncle and my father and so we just want to take some precautions and just make sure that we re all good. wow, he s speaking for just about everybody i know right now. look, the fact is covid is resurging nationwide. one factor, the rapid spread of the omicron variant. it now accounts for 73% of u.s. cases making it by far the dominant strain. one marker of how things have changed seemingly overnight, the nhl has suspended all play until at least after christmas. cnn s jasmine wright joins us again from washington.
Have plenty of capacity, at least for now. this is not 2020, he says. we are learning of the first known omicron-related death in the united states. a texas man in his 50s with underlying health issues. he was unvaccinated and previouprevious previously had been infected with covid-19. and the nhl is postponing their games until after christmas at least. at the white house, a staff member tested positive for covid. president biden will be tested again today. today, he is set to direct the people directly, talking about this renewed fight. he will announce the purchase of 500,000 rapid at-home tests and a plan to distribute those for free to those who request them. the president expected to say vaccinated americans don t need to cancel holiday plans despite the rising case count. let s go to jeremy diamond who