that the omicron surge could be peaking in a number of states which got hit early with it, the country as a whole still getting hammered. late today, the cdc predicted it's about to get worse. the agency's latest ensemble forecast now anticipates more than 62,000 more americans will die over the next four weeks. in other words, deaths now averaging about 1,700 a day could hit more than 2,600 and hospitalizations already at a peak are expected to climb even higher. meantime, in the face of a strain that is showing itself to be far easier to transmit than other variants, the cdc today said the expected updated advice on masks, while offering for now, at least more of the same. >> cdc continues to recommend that any mask is better than no mask. and we do encourage all americans to wear a well-fitting mask to protect themselves and prevent the spread of covid-19. and the recommendation is not going to change. we are preparing an update to the information on our mask website to best reflect the options that are available to people.