more than 133,000 americans are currently hospitalized with covid down from the peak from the week before. the challenges continue tonight with the lack of available rapid at-home tests and the long tine of pcr tests topping long delays of getting results contributing to the spread of the vipers. >> tests allow us to make decisions whether we're contagious and are a threat to others, whether we can safely return to school or work. >> reporter: meanwhile new york state could be turning a corner, reporting 48,000 cases friday, a nearly 47% droop from nearly 90,000 cases in the state earlier. other states in the northeast are also seeing a downward trend or leveling off. this could be an annual illness like the flu. >> this is going to be an annual vaccination at least for a period of time. >> reporter: a new israeli study a fourth dose of vaccine provides only limited protection