about the smoke alarms were they working? reporter: well, kate, officials say there are smoke alarms throughout the building in fact, a resident heard an alarm, saw the smoke, then called for help right away. but tonight still so many questions on what went wrong kate kathy park, thank you. the mayor of new york acknowledging that fire came as the nation is battling covid as well. this week could prove to be one of the most challenging yet. one estimate says 5 million people could be home sick in the coming days possibly crippling critical services now hospitals overwhelmed with patients are struggling to find the staff to care for them sam brock has more reporter: the omicron variant may be spreading at the speed of light but its grip on american workers is slowing down critical services we have over 500 employees throughout baptist health that have come down with covid. reporter: at baptist health in
your questions. world news tonight this tonight, the omicron variant tightening its grip on the u.s. the country now reporting more than 240,000 new cases per day. and the biggest one-day total ever. images coming in from across the country. americans waiting for hours in long lines to get tested for covid. at least five states reporting more new cases now than any other point during the pandemic. the cdc now projecting more than 21,000 deaths in just the next two weeks. and a new report suggesting the incubation period of the omicron variant may be three days, which is less than the delta variant. tonight, questions about the cdc s new guidelines for people with asymptomatic cases, cutting isolation time from ten days down to five. new details about the deadly shooting spree in colorado.
cases. reporter: the omicron variant may be spreading at the speed of light, it s slowing down critical services. we have over 500 employees throughout have come down with covid. reporter: at baptist health in miami, care center had been closed to reposition staff. we have plenty of equipment and we have plenty of medications. reporter: the crunch prompting change in california. it s major disaster waiting to happen. reporter: the hyper infectious variant leading to new state rules, healthcare workers testing positive and asymptomatic returning to work immediately without isolation and without testing. i think it s callous and it s
this hour, honoring the legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. fight for voting rights in washington and state capitals throughout the country, where does it go from here. also, follow the money. new details about the billionaires behind the brain trust. plus hopeful signs the omicron variant may have crested. but that doesn t mean america s hospitals are out of the woods. and from box office hit to owning the internet, the magic of disney s encanto. imagine today, 296 days before november s midterm election we re actually having a conversation about expanding ballot access. tomorrow, martin luther king jr. day, the family will lead a march for voting rights in washington. they want congress to pass the freedom to vote act that would
this week due to a surge in covid cases. now hospitals across the country, already overwhelmed with patients, are facing staffing shortages. nbc news correspondent sam brock has the latest. reporter: the omicron variant may be spreading at the speed of light, but its grip on american workers is slowing down critical services. we have over 500 employees throughout this town that have come down with covid. reporter: at baptist health in miami, some emergency care centers have closed due to a strain on staff. is this a function of not enough people? is that why you re making this choice? yes. we have plenty of equipment. we have plenty of medication. it is the staff. reporter: the crunch prompting change in cal. it s a major disaster waiting to happen. reporter: the hyperinfectious variant leading to new state rules, health care workers who