millions of americans gather with their families and loved ones this holiday season. fueled by the omicron variant, new cases are eclipsing infections fueled by the delta variant over the summer, and are racing toward record highs. even on this day after christmas, people are lining up to get tested. the need for tests is only expected to keep rising. now, hospitalizations do remain relatively lower than during peaks earlier this year. but, still, there are still nearly 70,000 americans in hospitals right now with covid. covid-related deaths, although, nowhere near peak levels, but they're still up 30% from last week. all this causing major disruptions on what is typically one of the busiest travel days of the year. major u.s. airlines have canceled hundreds of flights again today as staff and crew continue to call out sick. and what we're seeing only underscores what health experts have been urging for months, get