year s eve celebrations. the annual times square celebration in new york city is for now a go. the fda has authorized two new at-home tests, but for now the demand for testing is drastically outpacing supply. many hospitals are maxed out with large portions of staff out sick themselves. states like georgia and ohio are the latest to activate the national guard for help. some experts say this is the new reality for the foreseeable future. everything we re going to do right now will be imperfect. just accept that right now. we don t know a lot of the things we wish we knew, but what we do know and is emerging is this country will be in the soup in the next few weeks. with so many cases in so many locations, we ll see critical infrastructure as well as health care challenged. one of those big challenges is a rise in pediatric cases. more than 300 children being admitted to the hospital nation wild for covid every day in the last two weeks, just 2% below the peak in september
the inferksctions are spreag quickly and rising rapidly. a fuel in coronavirus cases. we re particularly worried about those who are in that unvaccinated class. those are the most vulnerable ones. and a carnival cruise ship returns to miami packed with passengers and new cases of the coronavirus. there is a lot about this moment that is frustrating but we have the power today to have an impact on tomorrow. remembering archbishop desmon tutu. we either survive together or we ll be dammed together. looking back at the noble prize winning life on a towering figure on the right for human rights. hi, everyone, i m amara walker. pamela brown has the evening off. you re live in the cnn newsroom. millions of people around the world right now spending this christmas weekend gathered with friends and family but the coronavirus is taking no time off this holiday season. as new infections race toward record highs across the united states. new cases have already surpassed
and a look back at the legacy of archbishop desmond tutu. we begin this hour with the growing concern over the rapid spread over the omicron variant in the united states. it s driving daily covid infections to highs not seen since last january. as cases spread, so does the demand for tests. americans are facing a shortage of at-home kits. and this is the scene at testing sites around the country. 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 that are vaccinated or boosted. but the situation where you have such a high demand, a conflation of events, omicron stirring people to get appropriately concerned and wanting to get tested, as well as the fact of the run-on test through the holiday season. we have to
now, a public outcry and a district attorney pushing the court to reduce his time behind bars. live from cnn center, this is cnn newsroom with kim brunhuber. all right. we begin this hour with the growing concern over the rapid spread of the omicron variant in the u.s. it s driving daily covid infections to highs, not seen since last january. this is the scene at testing sites around the country. 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 is 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 boosted. we have obviously got to do better. i mean, i think things will improve greatly as we get into january, but that doesn t help us today and tomorrow. meanwhile, nearly 1,500 flights were cancelled sunday as staff and crew continued to cal
victor is off today. the u.s. now averaging more than 198,000 new infections a day. that s a level not seen since last january, a whopping 47% increase from just last week, but hospitalizations are rising less quickly than they did with the delta surge. today president biden conceded there s not enough covid tests, but he told the nation s governors his administration is here to help them. this is not like march of 2020, the beginning of the pandemic. wee prior pared and we know what it takes to save lives, protect people, keep schools and businesses open. we just have to state focused. my message to the governors is simple. if you need something, say something. we ll have your back in any way we can. we have correspondents covering all angles of this. nadia rho merits ooh is at the atlanta airport, but i best again with leyla santiago in miami. how long are people waiting for the test site? reporter: we ve been here since 4:00 a.m. this line of cars has been wrapped