300,000 cases a day. hospitalizations are also climbing to more than 84,000, up 70% from last month. at least ten states are reporting their highest hospitalization numbers of the pandemic. more than 1,500 americans are dying each day from the virus, an increase of 72% in the last month. and the cdc now predicting tens of thousands more could die from covid in the next four weeks. but there is some positive news, and that is new research from south africa that a johnson & johnson booster shot provides strong protection against omicron. let's start with elizabeth cohen on these numbers. we've been talking a lot about numbers, but there really is a big concern about how this is going time pact our daily lives. >> reporter: that's right, because, you know, we've heard so much, amara, about how omicron is so transmissible, but