all echoes of the past. people here waiting more than an hour to be tested as omicron reveals its rapid spread. >> this is after coming yesterday twice and then not being able to get tested here. >> this is a whole new animal. we got to be honest about the fact that it's moving very fast, and we have to move faster. >> reporter: the past is prologue as new york's mayor redoubles restrictions and considers scaling back the times square new year's eve celebration. a visible return of sports restrictions. hockey in montreal played to empty stands. and the nfl and nba increasing covid protocols. this is all in response to deaths, increasing in nearly half of u.s. states, up sharply in seven. that's an increase of 8% from just last week. >> i think we're really just about to experience a viral blizzard. if you look at what happened in south africa, in europe, in the next 3 to 8 weeks, we're going to see millions of americans will be infected with this