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Omicron Variant Surge Disrupts Holiday Travel Season; Cases Hit All-Time High, Experts Warn Of "Tidal Wave" In 2022; Comedy Legend And "Golden Girl" Betty White Dies At 99; At Least Two People Missing Following Colorado Wildfires; Your Financial Checklist For 2022; National Title An All-SEC Affair Again; NHL Postpones Nine More Games Entering New Year. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired January 01, 2022 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:59:42]

JAMES TAYLOR, SINGER: I think that you and I probably just have the same musical DNA, musical sources Were probably the same. And a lot of that was in common just, you know, what people were listening to in those days.

And of course, a lot of what I had been listening to is you because you were like a child prodigy and started so early.

We really had ten years and beautiful stuff by everyone. So at any given point there were probably two or three Carole King songs playing on the radio at any given moment.

CAROLE KING, SINGER: Well, Carole King and Gerry Goffin and credit where due, but that's true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA REID, CNN ANCHOR: The "CNN FILM CAROLE KING AND JAMES TAYLOR: JUST CALL OUT MY NAME" premieres tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific. I know I'll be watching.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Reid in Washington. Happy New Year.

Omicron's rapid spread is leaving every aspect of normal life up in the air with the exception of the very things that should be in the air, like planes. Airlines began 2022 by canceling more than 2,400 flights today. That's more than any other recent day of the holiday season thanks to COVID and bad weather.

More than 13,000 flights have been canceled since Christmas eve. Many stranded travelers may have attended New Year's eve gatherings like this one last night in Times Square. But experts warn it could lead to a tidal wave of hospital admissions as omicron surges.

The nation has already smashed another daily case record, but mass gatherings aren't the only issue. We were all taught that if you have a significant exposure to COVID, you would have been within six feet of somebody for more than 15 minutes. Well, omicron is so contagious, it's changing the rules.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: You can have a very transient encounter with somebody. Maybe your mask is a little bit loose, maybe they pulled their mask down a little bit, maybe you walked into an elevator or somebody has just coughed. This is how you can contract this virus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: And as those case numbers grow higher, one consequence is clear. Right now more kids are hospitalized with COVID-19 than ever before.

CNN's Polo Sandoval joins me now from New York City. Right, Polo, health experts say that the Times Square New Year's eve celebration could come back to haunt the city. So how is New York gearing up amid the omicron surge?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Paula, those health officials have also been warning that the current explosion in COVID numbers is something that they have never seen before.

In fact, four times this week the nation broke its own record when it comes to the daily number of new COVID cases. This week even reaching 386,000 -- a pandemic high.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL (voice over) : The U.S. is shattering records this week with an average of about 356,000 COVID infections reported every day in the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University.

As the world rang in the New Year, the latest surge is sweeping across the U.S., pushing cases and hospitalizations to unprecedented levels. Experts warning a turning point could be weeks away.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Given the size of our country and the diversity of vaccination versus non-vaccination, that it likely will be more than a couple of weeks probably by the end of January.

SANDOVAL: Roughly 62 percent of the country is fully vaccinated according to the U.S. Centers for Disease control and prevention. Only about 33 percent of fully vaccinated adults have gotten boosters, which experts say are critical in protecting against severe illness from the variants.

The omicron variant, the most contagious strain, rapidly spreading across the world. In the U.S., states are seeing their highest case and hospitalization numbers ever. New York reported more than 76,500 new cases on Thursday, the governor's office, said breaking its single day record.

Hospitalizations hit about 8,000, an 8 percent spike from the day before. Hospitalizations have risen almost 20 percent since Monday. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND POLICY:

Clearly New York and Washington, D.C., are ahead of the curve, but not by much. And so expect that in the next three to four weeks we're going to see everyone hit with this.

SANDOVAL: New Jersey identified more than 28,000 new COVID-19 cases via PCR testing, Governor Phil Murphy said on Thursday. The number of positive cases likely higher due to at-home testing, he added.

Some governors calling on the national guard. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine deploying 1,250 National Guard troops, he said, on the day the state reported its highest hospitalization numbers.

Georgia also deployed 200 troops in the same week that six major health systems saw 100 percent to 200 percent increases in hospitalizations, Governor Brian Kemp said.

And New York doubling its National Guard deployment to 100 and preparing for 80 guardsmen to undergo emergency medical training next month, according to the governor.

With more virus spreading in the country, more than 30 colleges and universities are changing the start of their spring semesters.

[11:04:54]

SANDOVAL: And more children are getting sick and being hospitalized than at any other point in the pandemic just as their school will be navigating reopening after the holidays.

DR. FAUCI: Quantitatively, you're having so many more people, including children, who are getting infected. And even though hospitalization among children is much, much lower on a percentage basis than hospitalizations for adults, particularly elderly individuals.

However, when you have such a large volume of infections among children, even with a low level of rate of infection, you're going to still see a lot more children who get hospitalized.

SANDOVAL: On a positive note, studies and reports on the omicron variant continue to suggest it may not be as lethal as delta even as it spreads quickly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: These high case counts likely to continue to add to disruptions to daily life. In fact, just yesterday Brown University's Dr. Megan Ranney said on CNN that she is growing more and more concerned about really more shutdowns and not necessarily because of government policies, but more because more Americans are getting sicker, meaning more of them have to stay at home and recover.

REID: Polo Sandoval, thank you so much for your reporting.

Let's talk more about that troubling data Polo mentioned about children and how there are more sick kids with COVID in hospitals than at any point in the pandemic.

CNN's Nadia Romero joins us from Atlanta.

All right. Nadia, the children's hospitals say they're overwhelmed. What more are you learning?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're seeing that, really, all across the hospital systems here in Atlanta and across the state of Georgia, Paula, when it comes to adults and pediatrics. So if we focus on kids right now, if we take a look at those numbers, we know that cases are rising at a dramatic rate.

We are close to reaching the peak that we saw back in August. And what happened in August, well, all the kids went back to school. There were some social distancing that happened because they were at home over the summer. But when all the kids went back to school around August, that's when we saw the peaks in pediatric cases of kids getting COVID going up in the Atlanta area and across the state of Georgia.

And we know with this omicron variant, according to health experts, that kids will experience milder symptoms. However, it is highly contagious and we are still seeing that big impact, sending more Georgia kids to the hospital. Hospitalizations seeing a dramatic increase and kids having to go to the hospital because of their symptoms.

Now, this is one big reason why the U.S. Secretary of Education is pleading with school districts all across the country to go back to masking inside. Kids and staff, students, faculty, all of the above, if you're in school buildings, to wear a mask, encouraging people to get vaccinated, to do the things that we know can help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Listen to his plea and why he believes that could be key to keeping kids in school for learning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIGUEL CARDONA, EDUCATION SECRETARY: I think parents have had enough of school closures due to poor policy. So let's protect our students, let's protect our staff. Let's keep our communities thriving.

It's unfortunate that the numbers are going up, but we know how to continue during the pandemic. We shouldn't have shutdowns. We shouldn't have our schools closed for a long period of time.

If we know what works, we should employ it. We have the resources there. We need to come together for our students. They deserve that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: And Paula, we're already seeing at least one school district here in Georgia, Fulton County schools, one of the largest school districts in the state, going back to remote learning starting on Monday, Paula.

REID: Nadia, thank you so much for your reporting. I know a lot of parents have this top of mind right now. Thank you.

And I want to bring in Dr. Peter Hotez. He's a professor and dean of tropical medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. And Dr. William Schaffner. He's professor in the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

All right. Dr. Hotez, I want to start with you.

Parents hear about these hospitalization numbers is clearly very troubling. So what would you advise parents to do, especially parents with children who are too young to be vaccinated? What do they need to know right now about the risks their children face?

DR. PETER HOTEZ, DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Well you know, what's happening, Paula, with omicron -- we saw a little bit with delta, but it's even more so with omicron and we've seen this in South Africa and the U.K. as well, that this is so highly transmissible that it's not necessarily that the virus is targeting kids. It's just that they're getting swept up along with everybody else.

And many kids are getting admitted to the hospital and found after the fact that they've had COVID because they've actually been admitted for other reasons and as part of the routine testing they found COVID.

Others are actually admitted with symptomatic COVID, meaning respiratory illness and all the other things that we've been seeing. If you want to protect your kids, especially as schools start to open, because remember, it's about to get worse as we start opening schools, especially in high transmission areas like Washington, D.C. and New York City.

[11:10:00]

DR. HOTEZ: Max out all of the tools that you have available. And that means if your kids are 5 and up, vaccinate them. The vaccination rates for kids 5 and up have been pretty bad across the country. I think only around 15 percent.

So we have a lot of room to move there, even among the adolescents, 12 to 17-year-olds, depending on where you are like in Louisiana, Georgia, where things are revving up right now as well. The vaccination rates are still only half the northeast.

So vaccinate, mask as mentioned as well, and be mindful of the situation. And it may the case that in some school districts where things are so raging right now in terms of omicron for the next couple of weeks that it may be prudent to delay things a couple of more weeks and put it into the back end, into the summer to extend the school year. So it's going to be a very challenging time. People are going to have to be patient.

REID: Challenging indeed.

Well, Dr. Schaffner, is it clear at this point whether omicron is really causing children to be sicker than previous variants? Or is it that it's just so transmissible, more kids are getting it, parents bring them into the hospital out of an abundance of caution or kids are there for something else and get this variant?

DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, PROFESSOR, VANDERBILT MEDICAL CENTER: Well Paula, it looks to be just as my friend Peter said a combination of those. There are children who are getting infected with omicron and are getting seriously ill. And some of those children have underlying illnesses, some do not.

Other children are being admitted to the hospital for another medical reason, but we're testing children routinely, and there they are in the hospital. We've tested them and oh, my gosh, they're positive.

So we have kind of two streams coming in. Children who need to be admitted for COVID, children who need to be admitted for something else and are suddenly found to have COVID.

Their illnesses fortunately tend to be less severe. This virus is multiplying very, very abundantly up in the throat and behind the nose. But when the virus gets down into the lungs, it doesn't seem to have the same capacity as delta and the other variants of actually infecting the lung tissue directly.

So whether adults or children, we're not seeing the same level of severity. But if you're unvaccinated, that's the group still at highest risk.

I'm the adult doctor here, and the adults that are being admitted to my institution, the vast majority continue to be unvaccinated.

REID: We hear that again and again from our medical experts.

All right. Dr. Hotez, we have a record number of cases and people were just gathering for Christmas and New Year's. A quick survey of social media last night looks like a real mixed bag in terms of people really trying to mitigate against potentially contracting COVID. So what do you think the next month looks like here in the U.S.?

DR. HOTEZ: You know, Paula, I see a lot of social disruption and some of it dangerous, some of it just inconvenient. First of all, in our transportation hub we're hearing about at the airports, TSA agents calling out sick in large numbers, at home sick with COVID. Also ground transportation, all the aspects of the airline industry.

So we should anticipate huge delays and disruptions in that, all transportation hubs.

The schools are going to be problematic, especially when teachers and staff and bus drivers have to call out for breakthrough COVID. It's not going to be easy to maintain the schools in session for the next few weeks.

The biggest concern, of course is as Dr. Schaffner pointed out, the hospital workers. You know, even though you have fewer numbers of patients going into the hospitals, into ICUs, you have a commensurate decrease in the number of health care providers who can take care of them. And that will create a dangerous situation.

And two of the three monoclonal antibodies don't work and Paxlovid we don't have in quantity.

So when you put all those things together and the fact that diagnostic testing is still a debacle, you have this very, very dangerous epidemic in this month of January.

So a disappointing way to start the New Year. We'll get through it, but it's not going to be so straightforward.

REID: Now, another study found -- and this question is for Dr. Schaffner -- another study found that immunity to omicron does wane after the vaccination, but it wanes even more for those who have, quote, "natural immunity". So what does this mean in terms of herd immunity that many people had hoped that we would reach?

DR. SCHAFFNER: Well, you know, I'm cautiously optimistic, Paula. I think natural immunity from infection plus vaccine-induced immunity can come together and perhaps by the end of January, beginning of February, begin to get us to the point where we can control this epidemic.

[11:14:50]

DR. SCHAFFNER: But having said that, I would encourage everyone who's had natural infection to nonetheless get vaccinated because the studies show very securely that the combination of the two really gives you higher levels of protection that are much more secure against variants, and likely will last a longer period of time. So even though you've recovered from COVID, get the vaccine.

REID: We hear it again and again, get the vaccine.

All right. Dr. Peter Hotez and William Schaffner, thank you so much for joining us with your expertise.

DR. SCHAFFNER: Happy New Year.

DR. HOTEZ: Thank you.

REID: And tributes are pouring in this morning as the world mourns the death and celebrates the life of a TV icon, Betty White. Up next, we'll hear from someone who knew her best, her longtime agent and friend.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REID: Today we honor the long life and rich legacy of a beloved American TV icon, Betty White. The self-described lucky old broad's sweetly-sarcastic characters were fixtures for decades in movies and on TV. Shows like "The Golden Girls" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", and, of course, "Hot in Cleveland". She died yesterday at the age of 99 just weeks from her 100th birthday. Ryan Reynolds, who co-starred with her in the movie "The Proposal" tweeted, "She was great at defying expectation. She managed to grow very old and somehow not old enough. We'll miss you, Betty."

Joining me now on the phone is Betty White's agent of 21 years as well as her lifelong friend Jeff Witjas. Jeff, we are so sorry for your loss.

JEFF WITJAS, BETTY WHITE'S AGENT AND FRIEND (via telephone): Thanks, Paula. I actually don't believe that Betty passed. I'm still trying to adjust to that.

REID: Well, her legacy will certainly live on forever. There was just something so special about her. You have other stars who come and go, but she managed to stay so relevant and so loved over seven decades. So what was her secret?

[11:19:49]

WITJAS: She was real. She was -- it was always Betty. There was nothing ever fake about her. And it was part of -- Betty and I were a team. And part of our plan was to keep Betty relevant and to appear in places where people would not expect her to appear.

For instance, like, she would appear on Monday night football. I mean that would be the last place somebody would think Betty White would appear, or doing dramatic work. There was nothing that she could not do and do it well. Amazing talent.

REID: You both did a great job executing that plan.

Now, just two days before she died, she told "Entertainment Tonight" that she was amazed by the idea of turning 100. She joked to "People magazine that her secret to a long life was trying to avoid anything green. Do you remember the last conversation you had with her?

WITJAS: The last time -- actually, I was with Betty about a week or so ago. We played gin rummy. That was our favorite thing to do, was to play with each other. And she was quite good at it.

And as we play, we would talk and joke around. But when we played gin rummy, she was very serious most of the time because she always wanted to win. And so it was a running thing we had, the competition we had in gin rummy.

And it upset me a little bit because she beat me four games out of five, and she promised me she would give me a rematch. So we're not going to have that.

But we talked a lot about her friends. We talked about the things that she liked in the sense with animals. Animals were a big part of her life -- animal welfare. We talked about my family. It was just Betty White talking about just down to earth things.

REID: That's so interesting because I think a lot of people are wondering what was she like when the cameras weren't rolling. You say she was down to earth. Also just sounds like she was a really authentic woman.

WITJAS: She honestly was. I mean, I loved her dearly. She took a concern in my life, not just the work aspect of what we did, but she cared about me, my family, about her friends and what was going on in the world we would discuss.

Betty was not a political person, per se, but she definitely had her opinions on things, and we would discuss it. But she cared deeply about things, very much so.

REID: You worked together for 21 years. Do you have a favorite memory that you can share during that time?

WITJAS: Paula, there's so many. But I would give one that's related to CNN, actually. Betty was interviewed by Larry King. It was "LARRY KING LIVE" years ago.

And Larry asked her a question. Betty, who do you think is funny? And I was at the studio at the time and she said, "Oh, my agent, Jeff Witjas."

So I felt so great Betty would say something like that about me. And of course she couldn't leave it like that. She said, "Yes, my agent, Jeff Witjas, is the funniest person. He's not very good, but he's very funny."

And she just -- I mean, that's Betty's sense of humor, you know? A little twist to everything. That's one of my favorite stories because it made me laugh when I was with her. There are many.

We traveled together when she would do personal appearances or when she hosted "Saturday Night Live". It just -- it would just be natural, it was organic. Betty wouldn't force anything. It would just -- it just would happen. It would be taking a word and twisting it or a situation that was there that she would make funny. She was such a positive person that it was great to be around her.

REID: And you mentioned hosting "Saturday Night Live". You were there the night she became the oldest person to host the show at the age of 88. Tell us about that night.

WITJAS: It was -- it was sort of a dream. Betty originally did not want to host "Saturday Night Live". At that time she did not want to go to New York. But once she was there, she was pulled into the enthusiasm of the city and also into the show because you have to be -- you have to be ready. It's an amazing show that's put together in one week.

[11:24:46]

WITJAS: And it's hilarious seeing Betty pulled from one costume to another and within seconds she's into another character. Betty was used to dialogue that was scripted. In this case, it was not scripted. But she adapted to it.

And Lorne Michaels and the cast were fabulous to Betty. And she knocked it out of the park.

But one quick story. There was one night, Thursday night after rehearsals. I was in her dressing room and she looked at me and said "Never again".

So I thought, well, maybe I pushed her too much to do the show. And two seconds later, you know, I'm exaggerating, maybe a minute later, she looked at me again and said, "Ok, let's go on. Let's do this. Let's go out to dinner."

It was that -- just for some reason in that moment something hit her. But after that --

(CROSSTALK)

WITJAS: -- go ahead, Paula, I'm sorry.

REID: Oh no. That's understandable. That's a high-pressure environment. But she just killed it. I believe it got the highest ratings for the show that year.

Now, for a "People Magazine" profile that came out shortly before death, several actors paid tribute to her, including Carol Burnett. And it's interesting. She said, "Betty would come on my show and if there was a tinge of risque humor in one of our sketches, she'd roll with it and make it even funnier, add a little wink to show, just to sort of say that she was thinking of something sexy. She's not a stand-up, she's not a jokester, it's just the way she can the twist a line to get a laugh." And that was really on display at that SNL hosting gig, wasn't it?

WITJAS: Yes. Absolutely. And there were times with Betty towards the end I would say I have an offer for you to do a certain show, and she would say to me, is there any nudity? I said, "Betty no. There's no nudity." She said, "Well, I'm not doing it then."

You know, that just was her sense of humor. I think it was her sense of humor.

REID: You think? You never know.

(CROSSTALK)

WITJAS: Yes, but she was a dream to work with. I miss her dearly. I know the world does. And her fans are extremely loyal people, extremely. I've received emails over all the years and -- wonderful letters and emails and things they say about Betty.

They feel they knew her because for so many years she came into people's homes, living rooms, and performed. So it was a great relationship she had with her fans.

REID: Absolutely. I think we all -- we all feel that. We feel like we knew her and, of course, many people know she wasn't just an actress. She was also an animal lover. Talk about how important that cause was to her. WITJAS: I would say that was the number one reason she kept living, to

be honest. She loved four-legged animals. And she did her best to take care of them in any way she could.

She was a humanitarian and I think her legacy will show that. I feel -- I honestly feel bad for the animal world because they lost someone who was probably their biggest supporter.

I mean, there are many other people out there who do good things for animals, but Betty was focused on that, 100 percent focused. And most of the money she made during her show business career in many ways went to the animal world. So it was very important to her.

REID: Wow. Now, when asked why she never remarried after the death of her husband, Allen in 1981, she famously said, quote, "When you've had the best, who needs the rest?" Is there any comfort in knowing that Betty and Allen are together again today?

WITJAS: Yes, there is, Paula. I think Betty never feared dying. And I think she actually felt -- and hopefully it's true -- that she has reunited with Allen. That was her love. She talked about him all the time and there would never ever be another man.

Even though she would kid a lot about Robert Redford was her favorite, and then Ryan Reynolds. I know Ryan has a hard time accepting that, but it was always Allen. Allen was the love of her life. It was beautiful to watch when she talked about him. So she is hopefully with him now and she's forever and ever going to be happy.

REID: Well Jeff, thank you so much for joining us to share your memories. Incredibly sorry for your loss, but thank you so much for your work for the past 21 years keeping Betty in our lives and in our living rooms. Thank you so much.

WITJAS: Thank you, Paula. Take care. Happy New Year.

REID: We'll be right back.

[11:29:45]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REID: Just in, Boulder County Emergency Management officials tell CNN that two people are still missing after the fast-moving wildfires that moved through the area Thursday.

Hundreds of people are now without homes after the fires, fueled by wind gusts of more than 100 miles per hour, torched entire neighborhoods.

And as the flames moved in, it resembled an apocalyptic scene in Superior, Colorado as shoppers ran out of a store and into the parking lot.

Today, though, a welcome sight for residents and emergency workers -- snow. And there's more on the way. CNN's Natasha Chen joins me now from Louisville, Colorado.

Natasha, we sent you there to report on a fire. It looks like you're sort of in the middle of a blizzard now. What are you seeing there on the ground? What is happening?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Paula, we've moved over to Superior, Colorado, the other town that's been really devastated by the fire. We went from flames to snowflakes. There have been -- it's about a foot of snow where we are right now covering a lot of the destruction that we aren't able to show you right behind us.

But you mentioned two people missing. Just yesterday authorities had said that if it remains the case that no fatalities are reported, it would be a New Year's miracle. Of course everyone is still hoping that is the case. Officials would not say which city these two people are from, but did say these are Boulder County folks who are missing.

[11:34:52]

CHEN: Now, in talking to some of the residents who had to flee in such a hurry, we spoke to one family this morning who really put things into perspective about how the only thing that truly matters is having the people you love with you. The rest of it is material possession.

Here's Judy Delaware talking to us about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDY DELAWARE, LOST HOME TO COLORADO WILDFIRES: And it felt -- like -- like, I don't even know how to say it. I don't know how to get it out. It just felt like a punch to the stomach and this can't be real. It's just so surreal to be able to even fathom everything you owned is just gone. Gone.

CHEN: What are you going to miss most about that house?

DELAWARE: My yard. My yard and we had just redone our family room and -- I mean, just the memories. Just the memories of being able to be there. It was -- it was a house filled with love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: And she said that they'll rebuild a new house in that same spot and fill it with love again. A couple of their neighbors were lucky across the street. Their houses were untouched. And she said they're such close friends that they can't imagine, you know, being in a different place without that community.

This Louisville community is full of families who have been in that area for generations, so they are very tight knit. A lot of support has poured in there. And of course, now our attention turns to hoping that these two missing people in Boulder County are found, Paula.

REID: Natasha, this has been such a fast-moving situation. Have people been allowed to return to their homes now that it's snowing? And are there resources being offered to people like the Delawares who have lost everything?

CHEN: Well the Delawares tell me they do have a place to stay. Luckily, they're going to be all right. As far as access to the homes, some people yesterday, especially before it started snowing, were able to take a look at the destruction of their homes. But for the most part there are many roads and subdivisions still closed off.

In fact, the Delawares wanted to show us their home this morning. We followed them to the edge of the subdivision, but police there told us to turn around. And that is because they told the Delaware family that there were still neighboring houses that had hot spots. The fire department still needs to keep certain plumes of smoke under control.

So not all of this is out, even though there is heavy snow. It's still safest for people to stay away from those closed roads right now, Paula.

REID: Natasha, thank you for your incredible reporting there on the ground. We appreciate it.

And quarantined inside an airplane bathroom after testing positive mid-flight. One teacher's harrowing ordeal playing out on social media and how it's just another example of the challenges of traveling during a global pandemic.

But first, Carole King and James Taylor together in an unforgettable concert film. "JUST CALL OUT MY NAME" tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. on CNN.

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Friends, collaborators, legends. Their music shaped a generation. They came together for the tour of a lifetime.

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: James Taylor --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His songs were amazing, his voice is amazing, and his demeanor.

TAYLOR: Yee-haw.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Carole King.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Carole King, one of the greatest song writers of all time.

TAYLOR: I asked her to be a part of my band.

(MUSIC)

TAYLOR: 40 years had passed since the first time we played.

KING: I loved every experience we have had together.

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "JUST CALL OUT MY NAME, tomorrow at 9:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:39:04]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REID: Traveling during the pandemic is never easy, and the rapidly spreading omicron variant is bringing on a new wave of nightmares for people hoping to just get out of town. More than 2,000 flights have been canceled just today. The number includes around half that flights at Chicago's two airports, one in five flights from Detroit, and nearly a third of flights from Kansas City, Missouri.

This all adds to the growing number of cancellations and delays in recent weeks due to airline staffing shortages. And the trip can still be difficult for those who actually do get on their flights.

One woman isolated in an airplane bathroom for nearly three hours after testing positive for COVID during a flight from Chicago to Iceland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARISA FOTIEO, QUARANTINED PASSENGER: I was hysterical. I was crying. It was just -- I was in shock. I was nervous for my family who I had just eaten dinner with.

So she asked if I would be ok staying in the bathroom and I opted to stay in the bathroom. I'm sure if I had said no, can I please go back to my seat, she would have said yes. But I was too nervous.

You know, there were so many people on the flight. And my dad who is 70 and he was on the flight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Joining me now, ThePointsGuy himself, Brian Kelly. All right Brian, that story is pretty remarkable. Have you ever heard of anything else like this amid COVID?

BRIAN KELLY, FOUNDER, THEPOINTSGUY.COM: You know, I've never heard of an airplane bathroom quarantine, but you know, I'm never seized by all the things that are happening in travel and sadly it's not off to a good start in 2022. But I do believe things will get better.

REID: Well, I appreciate your optimism. The number of flight cancellations, though, today topped any other recent day. Thousands have been canceled since Christmas eve, and the FAA is warning things could get even worse as many of its own employees test positive for COVID. That could, of course, impact the number of flights their system can handle. So how are these major disruptions going to change the travel landscape over the next few weeks?

KELLY: Yes. It's not going to get better anytime soon, but hopefully after this holiday rush the airlines will have time to reset. But you know, we're now in winter and weather cancellations, you know, in the past would throw airlines a curveball.

But now with omicron, we're seeing nearly half a million cases a day and growing. So until we're out of the omicron surge, you know, the airlines simply cannot hire and train staff quick enough to fill the gap when people call out.

So I think if you're traveling in the next couple of weeks, you got to leave your house with a good attitude and don't take your frustrations out on airline employees. They're doing the best they can and there are just so many things out of their control.

REID: Such a difficult job. You're absolutely right. These are at least the folks who showed up.

[11:44:58]

REID: Now, shifting from the air to the sea, the CDC advising people this week to avoid going on cruises regardless of their vaccination status. They're investigating at least 86 ships for recent COVID outbreaks.

This virus, though, it's unlikely to go away completely. So how will the cruise industry be able to adapt to this new reality?

KELLY: You know, I have to say the Cruise industry has been above and beyond with putting in new safety protocols and being on a ship is, frankly, safer than being, you know, on land.

However, you know, a lot of ports recently have declined cruise ships. And you know, with the pandemic, we've just seen every day is a new day.

So when you're on a ship, if you really want to go to certain ports of call, you're just going to have to -- if you're going to cruise anytime soon, you have to be aware that you may not get to go to those destinations. You've got to roll with the punches.

But you know, I do think the cruise industry's very, very, you know -- they change quickly. But you know, if you want that full cruise experience, you know, I would recommend waiting a little bit before booking that cruise just to see how things shake out.

REID: It's a good point. And if you do cruise, like you said, be adaptable like the industry has been.

Well countries and cities in Europe are cracking down on the virus, limiting gatherings, reinstating mandates, and some even closing nightclubs as these cases spike. Paris just brought back its outdoor mask requirement.

So what would you tell people who would like to travel abroad but are worried about their experience being impacted by all of these renewed restrictions?

KELLY: Yes, I mean, I would just say every country's different. So, you know, research the country you're going to. If you don't care about going to nightclubs in Paris because you just want to go to museums, you can still have an amazing trip, get really good deals.

But I think what most people are worried about is testing positive abroad because you have to now test within one day of coming back to the U.S.

And I know a lot of people just aren't comfortable with even the thought, even if they're not going to get sick and go to a hospital but having to extend their trip by a week or two. So, you know, until people have peace of mind about that and the -- you know, and the spread of the virus, I think international travel is going to be, you know, everyone has to make their own personal risk assessment.

But I have traveled quite a bit over the pandemic and you can still have incredible travel experiences and get great deals.

REID: Well, that's great to hear.

Ryan Kelly, thank you so much for joining us today on the first day of the New Year.

KELLY: Thanks for having me.

REID: And the New Year often brings with it resolutions to lose weight, to eat better and to get a handle on your money. With big changes coming in the pandemic economy this year, CNN chief business correspondent Christine Romans is here with your financial checklist for 2022.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Your house, your job, your retirement -- time to tick through your personal finance checklist for the new year.

First, your home, likely your biggest investment. The Fed has signaled interest rates could rise in the coming year likely three quarter- point rate hikes. The Fed moving from stimulating the economy to fighting inflation.

That means your borrowing costs could rise. The window is closing to refinance your mortgage at super low mortgage rates. If you're in the market to buy a home, it'll likely cost more in 2022 than in 2021.

Home prices on fire. It has been a seller's market in real estate, higher interest rates would make it more expensive to finance a home, but could help cool down red-hot prices. It promises to be an exciting year for workers who have the upper hand in the labor market. Wage growth is higher than it has been in years. Employers offering perks and bonuses and flexible work schedules to keep their workers happy and attract new talent. Workers, you have leverage.

And for investors, time to check in on your risk tolerance and asset allocations. It's been a banner two years. The S&P 500, the Standard & Poor's 500 index rose more than 20 percent in 2021. Stock markets recording record highs dozens of times, leading to record-high retirement account balances, creating so-called 401(k) millionaires.

If the strategists at JPMorgan are right, the economy and the stock market have favorable prospects in the New Year. Quote, "Our view is that 2022 will be the year of a full global recovery and end of the global pandemic and a return to normal conditions we had prior to the COVID-19 outbreak predicting more stock market gains for the benchmark S&P 500."

And for those receiving social security, expect 5.9 percent more in your checks thanks to the government's annual cost of living adjustment.

Inflation, of course, the wild card in the New Year. Higher prices eat into wage gains and strain household budgets, especially for low- income earners.

In New York, I'm Christine Romans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[11:49:52]

REID: Thank you, Christine.

Well, college football's national championship game is set. Coy Wire joins me now. No surprises here, Coy, right?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Paula. Cinderella's slipper did not fit. We'll show you what happened to Cincinnati and we'll tell you why Georgia fans think they have a shot this time against the Alabama (INAUDIBLE) entitled to the national championship, even though Bama has history on their side.

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REID: College football's national championship game is set and the SEC conference is once again on center stage. Coy Wire joins me now. So it's Alabama and Georgia, a rematch, and Georgia, of course, hopes a shot at redemption.

COY WIRE: Yes, Paula. Last night's game proved that the SEC are still the top dogs in college football. And there's (INAUDIBLE) Georgia -- they get one more shot to take down the king of college ball in Alabama and they earned it after an Orange Bowl mash up with Michigan in a packed house in Miami last night. Michigan hoping to get to the title game for the first time in 23 years, but Georgia dominated all night, scoring every time they had the ball in the first half, Paula. The clock was the only thing that stopped them.

Even running back Kenny McIntosh threw a touchdown pass. Quarterback Stanton Bennett, in the offense, putting on a clinic. Piling up more than 500 yards of offense en route to a 34-11 win.

So it will be Georgia taking on Nick Saban's Alabama in a rematch of that 2018 championship game. And the Tide faced Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl.

[11:54:54] WIRE: Cincy was the first non power-five school to ever make the playoff. They fought hard against the Tide but Bama just too big, too strong, too fast for the Bearcats.

Their offensive line was bulldozing, averaging over three yards per rush before anyone even touched the ball carrier. Senior running back Brian Robinson with the best game of his career, over 200 yards rushing.

Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young showed up too, throwing for three touchdowns. Roll Tide. A 27 to 6 win. Alabama now trying to win back to back titles which would make their seventh championship in 15 seasons under coach Nick Saban.

Now Paula, Georgia coach Kirby Smart, is a former assistant for Saban at Alabama. Saban's 4-0 all time against Smart. But Saban is 25-1 all time against former assistants, his only loss against an understudy Paula, came this season.

So those dogs are hopeful, ready for redemption and a rematch one week from Monday in Indy.

REID: All right. Coy, it's a New Year, but it's the same old problem for the National Hockey League dealing with COVID after unexpectedly pausing the season at Christmas they have now postponed nine more games yesterday. So what's their reasoning?

WIRE: Yes. So the NHL's initial decision, Paula, to pause the season was because of the spread of the virus around the league. Well, these latest postponements though about economics and a lack of fans in the stands.

Eight of the nine games postponed yesterday, Paula, and a vast majority of those called off since play restarted this week have involved Canadian teams where fan attendance has been capped after stricter guidelines were put in place a few weeks ago.

As it stands 91 games have been postponed so far this season. The plan is to play those games later in the season when hopefully restrictions are lifted.

Now, as for the games that are being played, Paula, the winter classic is today, Blues and Wild playing outdoors in Minneapolis. Forecast has temperatures at minus 5 at game time with wind chills at minus 20 which would make the coldest NHL game, outdoor game, in history.

That's on our sister channel TNT. They even play as they have to heat the ice at game time. Think of that.

REID: Yikes. Coy, thank you so much.

WIRE: You got it.

REID: And that does it for me. I'm Paula Reid in Washington. I will see you back here tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.

For now my colleague Fredricka Whitfield picks up our live coverage in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Have a good day and happy New Year.

[11:57:09]

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