our hospitals than ever before, and the overwhelming majority are unvaccinated. the ad follows a similar plea from hospitals in minnesota earlier this month, now facing omicron, pleading for help. that part of it all feels like it was preventable. we had a level of protection that was offered that people declined, and now they re taking up beds that we know we need for other patients that need surgery for their heart disease or for their cancer, and those patients don t have access to the care that they need right now. all of us working on the front lines, health care providers, doctors, nurses, respiratory techs are going to feel the impact of those individual decisions. hospitals and emergency rooms were crowded before omicron came. we had a delta surge, we had e.r.s that are full of tired workers exhausted, not enough nurses e. covid now the third leading cause of death after heartland disease and cancer. being bombarded with new restrictions and restrictions, cali
school closures despite a covid surge driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant. he says we re better prepared now than in the army prevaccine days of the pandemic. we should all be concerned about omicron, but not panicked. and, no, this is not march of 2020. 200 million people are fully vaccinated. we re prepared. we know more. we just have to stay focused. as for the unvaccinated, the president says it is their patriotic duty to get the shot. and he had a stark warning for those who do not. almost every who has died from covid-19 in the past many months has been unvaccinated. and i honest to god believe it s your patriotic duty. the choice can be a difference between life or death. please, get vaccinated. so the white house planned to combat the virus includes expanding testing sites across the country, distributing 500 million free at-home tests to those who request them. estates that is righting next month. deploying 1,000 service members to strained hos
nice to be with you, my friend. president biden says if you are vaccinated, and boosted, go ahead, spend the holidays with family and friends. the president says the rapidly spreading omicron variant is cause for concern, but not panic. the country is much better prepared now to tackle a covid resurgence than in the early prevaccine days. for the millions who remain unvaccinated, there was this stark warning. almost everyone who has died from covid-19 in the past many months has been unvaccinated. i honest to god believe it is your patriotic duty, the choice can be the difference between life or death. please get vaccinated. the biden administration s response to skyrocketing omicron cases includes expanding test sites across the country, distributing at-home tests to those who request them, deploying a thousand service military members to help overburdened hospitals and adding new vaccination sites. elizabeth cohen joining us now. elizabeth, good morning. a lot of fo
a covid surge is imminent. israel is offering a vaccine boost to people. we are live in jerusalem. could it be a potential deadlock? jurors in the trial of former police officer kim potter prepare for the third day of deliberations. after suggesting they may be struggling to reach a verdict. announcer: live from london, this is cnn newsroom with isa soares. welcome to the show, everyone. it is wednesday, december 22nd. we begin with new evidence of just how devastating the covid-19 pandemic has been. now, the cdc says life expectancy in the u.s. fell by almost two years in 2020. mostly due to the pandemic. last year americans lived to an average age of 77, down from 78.8. that is the biggest single-year drop in more than 75 years. and covid was the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. the news comes as the pandemic is still raging right across the country, fueled by omicron. the variant has now been detected in all but one state, and that is
the uk reducing its covid isolation period from 10 days to 7. why the u.s. may not be far behind. allies of president trump stonewalling. michael cohen suing to keep his records under wraps. what s behind the nhl s big decision? good morning to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. it is wednesday, december 22nd. millions of americans are set to travel and gather with loved ones this week. and president biden is reassuring the vaccinated to go ahead with the holiday plans despite the covid resurgence. he says the country is better prepared to fight and contain the omicron variant. we should all be concerned about omicron, but not panicked. and, no, this is not march of 2020. 200 million people are fully vaccinated. we re prepared. we know more. we just have to stay focused. the president ruled out lockdowns, promising to keep businesses and schools open. but for millions of americans who are still unvaccinated, he pulled no punches, iss