the holiday season has officially begun, but things will look much different this year, as many countries see increases in coronavirus cases. despite the staggering spike in virus numbers and deaths, president donald trump continues to focus on himself and the election results. we'll take a look at his falsehood ridden news conference. also, the argentine football legend diego maradona laid to rest. we're live in buenos aires with

the details. hello, everyone, i'm michael holmes. this is "cnn newsroom." hello, everybody. it has been a thanksgiving unlike any other here in the u.s. as the country struggles to get a handle on the coronavirus pandemic. and we want you to stop and think about the people directly affected. almost 1200 americans died from covid-19 on thursday alone, and more than 90,000 others spent the holidays away from their holidays away in the hospital. it is the 17th straight day of record hospitalizations. data from johns hopkins university shows cases are still on the rise in about half the u.s. states, and another 107,000 people were diagnosed with the virus in just the past day.

president-elect joe biden spent the day making video calls to front line worker, including nurses and firefighters who he praised as the heros of this crisis. and he posted this message on social media. >> i know this isn't the way many of us hoped we'd spend our holiday. we know that a small act of staying home is a gift to our fellow americans. yes, it's a personal sacrifice that each of our families can make and should make to save somebody else's life. but it's also a shared sacrifice for the whole country. a statement of common purpose that says we care about one another, and we're all in this together. >> president trump held a videoconference with members of the u.s. military thanking them for their service and sacrifice. and he couldn't, of course help include some praise for himself and a shot at the media.

>> once again, i wish you a very happy thanksgiving. you're doing an incredible job, and your country is doing well. we just set a record in the stock market. over 30,000 in the dow jones industrial average. over 30,000. think of that. nobody ever thought we were going to hit that. during a pandemic, the whole world is suffering this tremendous pandemic, the world. and you wouldn't know that to listen to the news reports. but the whole world is suffering. and we're -- we are rounding the curve. >> we'll hear more from donald trump's question-and-answer session coming up later in the show. well, as the numbers we mentioned earlier show, the u.s. is not rounding the curve as the president says, but the president's deception didn't stop there. he continued to make baseless claims about election fraud and joe biden's victory. cnn's kaitlan collins reports.

>> reporter: the president has not taken a question in over three weeks since the day of the election, and he broke that streak on thanksgiving, finally taking questions from reporters after he held a call with members of the military. and as he spoke to us, he repeated hi accusations of widespread fraud in the election, something his attorneys have been saying without evidence for weeks now. and the president really hammered it home, repeating it, talking about the secretaries of state in georgia, criticizing those officials there, and in other states. and also saying that if the electoral college certifies joe biden's win in a matter of weeks as they are scheduled to do, he says that would be making a mistake. he says biden is move ahead with transitioning to the presidency by picking people who are going to be in his cabinet, and he wouldn't say whether or not he is going to attend biden's inauguration as is the precedent for past presidents in january. he talked about whether or not he would concede once his win is certified. he would not say, that despite

being asked multiple times, would he conceive once the win has been certified. the president would not say yes, he would. >> it's going to be a very hard thing to concede, because we know there was massive frauchltd so as to whether or not i can get this apparatus moving this quickly, because time isn't on our side. everything else is on our side. facts are on our side. this was a massive fraud. this should never take place in this country. we're like a third world country. >> one thing he did say is he would leave the white house. he said "of course i would." of course, should january come and push come to shove, there have been these theories about whether or not he'd actually leave the white house. one thing he did say, he is leaving the house on saturday to campaign in georgia ahead of that runoff that is going to determine which party controls the senate. and it's just really notable. i can't stress enough. the president has had such a quiet period in his presidency where he has not taken questions. and of course now after three weeks, he broke that streak, and we'll see if that continues with

these baseless allegations about fraud. kaitlan collins, anyone, the white house. >> joining me now is samantha vinograd. always a pleasure to see you, sam. i want to talk about the latest move. there are several high profile members of the defense policy board as it's called removed by the trump administration. but what it is another purge of long-standing security experts, in are what the final days of the administration. what is the aim of doing this? is it to mess with joe biden and his ability to effectively govern? >> whether motived by spite or some sense of self-protection, trump's engaged in a range of potentially dangerous policy moves. these so-called purge of the defense policy board seems likely motivated by spite. there is no reason to remove these experts in national

security. michael, let's not forget we have other dangerous moves to consider. on the other hand, trump has immediately severed several senior officials at the pentagon, at the usaid, at the climate assess and elsewhere. when president trump immediately terminates a senior official, that means there is no handover of their institutional knowledge to their successor, nor can those outgoing officials really participate in the transition process with president-elect biden's team. that means that balls could be dropped. there could be gaps in institutional knowledge. at the same time, president trump is also installing loyalists in key positions in the last weeks of his presidency. we have people who have served as trump awes's political accolades in very senior policy making roles. and i'm very deeply concerned that that could in some cases lead the loyalists to do things like not meet their statutory obligations when it comes to preserving presidential records or fully transitioning

information at these government agencies to the biden transition team. so i'm worried about the big picture personnel wise. >> the so-called borrowing as it's called. effectively, what can joe biden do to reverse decisions like that? >> we have two different phenomenon under way. we have the fact that trump is putting political loyalists as political appointees in several roles in the last few weeks in his administration. and then we have the so-called burrowing effect in which president trump is taking political appointees and making them protected civil servants, someone like michael ellis who served at the white house. he was a controversial figure, turning him into a really career government official at the national security agency. this risks the politicization of the career cadre of the u.s. government. it should not be a political enti entity. career service individuals serve through successive administrations and are nonpartisan. in terms of what joe biden can do, there are certain protections that civil servants

or career officials are affor d afforded. now president trump did issue an executive order back in october that created a whole new class of government employees. president-elect biden could choose to revoke that executive order with the new executive order of his own if he agrees president trump's moves are dangerous. >> right, right. it's worrying, that politicization. i wanted to ask you too what your take is on the biden cabinet nominees so far. and perhaps the cleanup they'll have to do when confirmed. how much the administration will need to undo and how difficult that might be. >> well, i served with several of the individuals currently nominated for key positions, tony blanken, jake sullivan, and these are real experts, michael. they have deep experience working government. and i never heard any of these individuals mention politics or even talk about their party affiliation. they focused on the policy work at hand and really excelled at their job in the obama

administration in relationships with congress and relationships with foreign counterparts. >> it does seem like a deep and experience. that's for sure. out of time. samantha vinograd, good to see you. >> thanks, michael. coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all soaring in the u.s. but millions of americans still ignored warnings not to travel over thanksgiving. and now health experts are worried about what comes next. cnn's alexander field reports. >> let's have a parade! >> a thanksgiving like no other. ♪ the annual macy's thanksgiving day parade made for tv only on a closed set. families across the country are being encouraged to get together on screen only. >> i did my phone calls last night to friends who i heard were going to travel. and i pleaded with them, please, stay home. be safe so that you can enjoy

your loved ones in the future. i don't want anyone to experience what my family has gone through and what my sister is still going through in her fight to recover. >> last week the cdc advised people not to travel for the holiday. since then, 5.9 million people boarded a plane. the cdc now projects that by december 19th, america will have suffered between 294,000 to 321,000 deaths. >> what we're seeing is the entire midsection of the country screaming high levels. and unfortunately, now 2,000 deaths per day is going to be the new normal. we'll probably head to 3,000 deaths per day. >> reporter: deaths are now at levels unseen since may. hospitalizations smashing records every day. in red hot texas, there is a of new restrictions in places like el paso and san antonio, along with deployment of the national guard and 1500 medical professionals. california is coming closer and closer to the full-blown

stay-at-home orders of last march. pennsylvania band bars from serving alcohol on one of the biggest party nights of the year, the night before thanksgiving, despite some pushback. >> there is a lot of oppression on one industry and one industry alone, and it seems to be the bars and restaurant industry. >> reporter: so for those who are going to gather today, this advice. >> try to layer on everything you can to keep your family members and all of their friends and family safe. so lots of mask-wearing, keeping gatherings short. keeping ventilation good with windows open. >> reporter: this year, there may be fewer turkeys on tables across the country. >> the pandemic has led to what we think is the greatest domestic hunger crisis in our country in nearly a century. >> reporter: and this year there are too many families in mourning. too many clinging desperately to hope, and some celebrating answered prayers. >> staying home is amazing,

especially on the day to give thanks. >> reporter: another precious life saved by health care heroes. once wildly cheered for their bravery and their sacrifice. heros who we can still do more for this thanksgiving day. >> you want to cheer your health care worker, put a mask and stay home. >> reporter: in new york, alexandra field, cnn. and joining me now is epidemiologist and cnn medical analyst dr. larry brilliant. good to see you, doctor. let's talk about thanksgiving. how concerned are you about post thanksgiving surges adding to what is already a surge in hospitalizations and deaths? >> hello, michael, and happy thanksgiving to you too. i'm very concerned. and it's not just post thanksgiving. it's black friday and then the run-up to christmas, and new years. this is our holiday season. and every day from now on can add to the toll. what i'm most worried about is the virus is now seated in every

county in the states, every city in the united states. our hospitals are almost full to capacity. in some communities, they are full to capacity. there is no more rooms in the icu. the people who will be sick from heart attacks, need cancer treatment, emergency pregnancies, they're going to have difficulty getting into a crowded hospital. so i'm worried about the excess deaths. i'm worried about the knock-on effects of these increasing waves that will come from black friday and christmas and new years. and they don't end on january 20th. this is something that will go on until perhaps the end of january as the vaccines come on. so michael, i think it's a tale of two cities. the best of times and the worth of times. it's the worst of times because of this acceleration. it's the best of times because later on in the spring when the vaccine is coming full force, we'll be able to get on top of this terrible disease. >> i mean, it really strikes

home when you talk about the filling hospitals and so on. and when it comes to those increasing cases and hospitalizations, a lot of doctors have been saying you can add regular beds, perhaps, but you can't manufacture icu nurses or doctors or respiratory therapists and so on. how worried are you about not so much beds, but qualified staff. >> yeah. it's always all about people. it's about your team. it's always about your staff. it's not just their ability to show up for work, it's they get sick too from covid. and they get sick in their hearts when they watch so many patients that they lose. i have a friend in los angeles who works in a wonderful hospital. he's seen 250 covid cases, and he has lost more than half of them. what does that do to a doctor or a nurse who comes to work every day and has to see this? and if you remember in the

spring in detroit and in manhattan, when we saw these mobile refrigerator vance, mobile hearses to take bodies away, for a doctor, that's failure. i'm worried about that. it's not just the beds, it's the people. >> morale is an important point. the toll on the health care workers mentally and physically, i mean, it has been incessant for months. i mean, there are breaking points, one imagines. >> and it's the discontinuity that they feel from what they -- their real lived experience going into hospital, seeing patients get sick, putting them on respirators, seeing them perhaps die, seeing how much their families mourn them and how hard it is. and then to come become and be told, oh, well, we're rounding the corner. this is a fraud. it's a hoax. it's that lack of support. so i was really encouraged to

hear president-elect biden's lauding them as heroes. they need our support, our love much more so than ever before now. >> wish we had more time. with don't unfortunately. dr. larry brilliant, always a pleasure. important message there's in your words. thank you. >> michael, nice to see you again. >> good to see you. the international soccer legend and world cup winner diego maradona was laid to rest in his home country of argentina. more tributes are pouring in. we'll discuss after the break. nt rheumatoid arthritis is often unseen. because the pain you're feeling could be a sign of irreversible joint damage. every day you live with pain, swelling, and stiffness... you risk not being able to do the things you love. especially in these times, it's important to keep up with your rheumatologist. schedule an appointment today.

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welcome back. the coronavirus may have changed how americans celebrate thanksgiving, but it wasn't able to take away one holiday tradition, watching football. with fewer fans and more masks, the houston texans defeated the detroit lions, 41-25. not even close, really. and the washington football team beat the dallas cowboys 41-16. but the virus did intercept the nfl's prime time matchup between the baltimore ravens and

pittsburgh steelers. the league was forced to postpone that game to sunday after multiple people within the ravens organization tested positive for virus. argentina's diego maradona was laid to rest a few hours ago. the legendary soccer player died at the age of 60 after a heart attack. he was buried just outside of buenos aires after lying in honor at the presidential palace. many of his fans said one last goodbye as the hearse went through town. journalist 'dega leha joins me live from buenos aires province. i know you were there. you saw a lot of these scenes. they must have been extraordinary. it shows what maradona meant to argentines. how did the day unfold? >> michael, this was a historic day in argentina. it had the intensity that very few days have in the history of

a country, in the history of a population. i'm standing in front of the gates of the cemetery that diego maradona crossed. probably marking his passage from man into legend. now this place here in just outside buenos aires, 35 kilometers away from the presidential palace will be a place of pilgrimage. and so much so that despite the fact that that it's 3:22 a.m. on friday here, it's the middle of the night. there is riot police. there is police waiting. there are control measures. there is a whole set of people waiting for the sun to rise and maybe people to converge on this place. michael? >> all right, diego laje.

certainly appreciate it. certainly a sad day for football around the world. appreciate it. we're going the take a quick break. when we come back on "cnn newsroom," despite the coronavirus surging across the united states, the supreme court strikes down new york's coronavirus restrictions which included religious gatherings. the reasons why coming up.

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welcome back. the u.s. supreme court is siding with religious groups in its latest ruling. it decide new york can't enforce coronavirus restrictions, which impact attendance at houses of worship. the 5-4 ruling is a first glimpse at the impact president

donald trump's newly appointed justice amy coney barrett could have on future decisions. cnn's jessica schneider reports. >> reporter: this ruling against new york governor andrew cuomo's covid restrictions on houses of worship, it is our first glimpse at how consequential the president's pick of amy coney barrett will be for the future of the court here. she was crucial in giving the conservatives the 5-4 majority since the chief justice john roberts once again sided with the liberals as he had this summer when justice ginsburg was still on the court, and when they actually sided 5-4 against houses of worship who were fighting these restrictions. now it's the flip side of what we're seeing here. this late-night decision on the eve of thanksgiving, it was a very stark reminder of the split we will see on consequential cases moving forward. as such, we saw some unusually critical language like this from justi justice sonia sotomayor. she said justices of the court

play a deadly game in guesting about the environments in which a contagious virus now infecting a million americans each week spreads most easily. but yet the unsigned opinion from the majority conservative justices, it seemed to punch back when they wrote this, saying members of this court are not public health experts, and we should respect the judgment of those with special expertise and responsibility in this area. but even in a pandemic, the constitution cannot be put away and forgotten. so the conservative justices there really seizing on the religious liberties the constitution affords in this case. and for the first time, justice amy coney barrett being that key vote to side with the churches who challenged these restrictions on how many people could actually worship at any given time. these were restrictions that were put in place by the new york governor. and this really could be a glimpse of what's to come on a court that is now solidly conservative for the first time legal experts say since before

world war ii. now new york governor andrew cuomo, he was criticized for putting these restrictions into effect. so now the religious institutions affected in new york are celebrating this as a big win. but governor cuomo pointed out that the restrictions had already ended. so there was really no reason for the court to even step in this case. >> it's irrelevant from any practical impact because the zone that they were talking about has already been moot. it expired last week. so i think this was really an opportunity for the court to express its philosophy and politics. i fully respect religion. and if there is a time in life when we need it, the time is now. but we want to make sure we keep people safe at the same time. and that's the balance we're trying to hit, especially

through this holiday season. >> and this is a battle that comes right at the holidays as we continue to see this new court where the chief justice john roberts is now the swing vote, and we see how he is able to handle a court that is now solidly conservative. jessica schneider, cnn, washington. >> harry litman is a former u.s. attorney. he is now the host of the talking feds podcast, and joins me now this hour from la jolla in california. good to see you, sir. we saw in this case the new makeup of the court in terms of trump-appointed justices having an effect. is this a sign of the future perhaps in the wake of ruth bader ginsburg's death and her replacement by amy coney barrett? >> it certainly looks like it's. this is the first instance where the new five really asserted their power. chief justice roberts, who had always been at the center of the court in the last few terms was dissenting along with the three

more liberal justices. it's the kind of ruling it's clear the court wouldn't have done before and involves the embrace of free exercise rights and a sort of elevation of them above other rights that really did seem to announce the new five are here and they're strong and they're going to be issuing a number of opinions that are different from how it would have been before and will really change society. >> how does a ruling like this impact the abilities of the states to set their own coronavirus mitigation rules? does it have an impact further than the immediate church ruling? and what signal does it send on future so-called religious liberty cases? >> yes. the first part of your question, it does send the signal that states can't just do what they want. and understand what new york did here, it did not in any way

single out religious or religious services. it rather had expert testimony saying religious services, spectator sports, movies and the like are gatherings where people tend to stay a while and talk and mingle as opposed to other kinds of gatherings, say liquor stores and casinos. and the court, instead of deferring to that judgment, took it upon themselves well, you're treating them different from other things, and why would you do that? so it definitely weakens the ability of state actors to decide these regulations. and, yes, it certainly augurs a strong solicitude going forward. there are constitutional rights on all sides of the regulation.

they restrict first amendment rights activities but the court really plucked out the free exercise issue and decided to give it its own sort of factual spin and strike it down on that basis, after, as you say, twice having declined to do so under ruth bader ginsburg. >> yeah, it's such an important point. the regulations were not singling out the judges. this judgment does. it's interesting because justice sonia sotomayor, she dissented. and it was interesting. i'll just read part of her dissent. she said justices of this court play a deadly game in secondguessing the expert judgment of health officials about the environment in which a on the the agious virus now affecting a million americans each week spreads most easily. i mean, she also went on to say she fears granting. this sort of protecting churches

on gatherings, it could end up being judicial ruling leads to people getting sick or dying. >> i mean, it's really true. it sounds alarmist, but we know of a few instances in which large congregations became super spreader events. and really, who are these five new justices to take it on themselves to say what sorts of gatherings will impose these dangers? they for their own reasons said not religion. that's more like a liquor store, when new york had said no, i'm sorry. that's more like spectator sports. it has always been a matter of deference to those authority, and for good reason. justice gorsuch, justice barrett, they have no special expertise about what spreads and what doesn't. and if they're wrong, you're right. people could dime. >> great analysis as always, harry litman. really appreciate it. thank you so much. >> thank you. quick break now here on the

program. when we come back, coronavirus cases rising in california. and that state trying to deal with a shortage of icu beds. we'll talk about that when we come back. experience clean in a whole new way. now roomba vacuums exactly where you need it, and offers personalized cleaning suggestions for a clean unique to you and your home. roomba and the irobot home app. only from irobot. roomba and the irobot home app. it's so good to see you. you too! so really, how are you? oh well, look! that's what we're both taking right now, fanapt. you know it's really been helping me manage my schizophrenia. i used to hear these terrible voices. loser! you're such a failure. you're so embarrassing. i used to feel like everyone was staring at me. but we're doing much better now, right? yeah. fanapt is approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults.

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all right. let's take a look at some of the countries fighting the biggest coronavirus outbreaks. just a recap. almost 61 million cases have been reported around the world. the u.s. far in the lead with the number of cases and deaths. germany, though, has now hit the 1 million plus mark for total cases, along with a new record for the number of deaths in a single day. russia also shattering one of its records, this time for new daily cases. moscow the worst hit city there, and the mayor extending coronavirus measures until january 15. and we're seeing tighter coronavirus restrictions now in europe. the hope is that tougher rules

might now mean a more relaxed christmas later. cnn's melissa bell is in paris for us. >> reporter: here in europe, several of those countries that have been in partial lockdown for several weeks looking now at how the next few weeks are going to pan out. so here in france, we know the partial lockdown will be lifted from the 15th of december. if that target of no more than 5,000 new cases a day have been met, that was announced by the french president on wednesday. today we heard from the french prime minister who announced not only fresh measures for the businesses struggling as a result of the crisis, but also, the fact that he believes 5,000 target would be met and that partial lockdown would be lifted on people's movements beyond the 15th of december. the key resorts will be closed over the christmas period. over in the united kingdom, another announcement there of a regionalized system. so england will have a strengthened tier system beyond december 2nd. that means most of england being in the second tier, including

london. that brings with it a lot of restrictions. in germany, angela merkel had tried and fail last week after failing to get a majority to strengthen the partial lockdown restrictions there. today he is announced they would be slightly strengthened. but they will last now until the beginning of next year with just a slight lifting of some of the restrictions over the christmas period to allow families in groups of about ten to get together. melissa bell, cnn, paris. i'm michael holmes. for our international viewers, world sport is up next. for those in the united states, when we come back, donald trump goes on a tear, rejecting reality, peddling more false claims about the election. we'll be right back. experience clean in a whole new way. now roomba vacuums exactly where you need it, and offers personalized cleaning suggestions for a clean unique to you and your home. roomba and the irobot home app. only from irobot. i'm a peer educator,... a fitness buff,...

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welcome back. we told you earlier about donald trump's impromptu news conference at the white house, where he made outlandish claims about election fraud already rejected by the courts because they're not supported by any evidence. his answers to reporters' questions were so far removed from reality, from truth that we thought important to let you hear a little more.

>> mr. president, do you have any big plans for your last thanksgiving at the white house? >> we don't know what is last. if you look at what's going on, you have to really take a look at what's going on. they're finding tremendous discrepancies in the votes. nobody believes those numbers. those numbers are incorrect numbers. a lot of numbers have already been reported that's incorrect. you're going to see things happening over the next week or two that are going to be shocking to people. if you look at the numbers in michigan, if you look at the numbers in pennsylvania, if you look at fraudulent voting and fraudulent votes, so i can't say what's first around what's last in terms is this the last one or is this the first one of a second term. we'll see what happens. nobody wants to see the kind of fraud that this election has really come to represent. we are looking at things that are so bad in georgia, they don't want to show us signatures. the reason they don't want to show us signatures is very

simple. because we will find thousands and thousands -- it's a very close race. it's hair-thin. but we'll find thousands and thousands of discrepancies, fraud. why they aren't wanting to show those signatures is amazing. they're doing recounts. and even in the recount, they found thousands of votes that were off. but now we want to look at the signatures, and you will find tens of thousands of false ballots, forged ballots. you'll see it all over. you're going see a lot of it. and you go to pennsylvania. you saw the meeting we had yesterday with pennsylvania. you saw people come up. they went to vote and they said no, you can't vote. somebody already sent in a ballot. and a woman -- but this is happening tens of thousands of times. i think it was 600 and some odd thousand, 687,000 fraudulent votes cast in pennsylvania. and i will tell you if you look at the state house now, the republican state house, they're

starting to see what's going on there. but they've really known it for a long time. but then you go michigan, and you look at what happened in wayne county and detroit. i went through a list. i went almost every county. and you see it. by 78%, 72%, 68%, going through the list. and then you get to wayne. and something happened. tremendous numbers. you saw the canvassers. they refused to sign their document, because they said we can't sign a fraudulent document. horrible things went on. that's in wayne county, detroit. you look at the votes that were just tabulated and left today. look at all the counties. i won almost all of them, except detroit was so egregious, it was phony. look at what's going on in wisconsin. wisconsin they're finding tremendous discrepancy. you just take a look at that. tremendous discrepancy, and elsewhere. so we're going to see what happens. but you can't have somebody

assume office, and already they want to get rid of america first. they want to get rid of america first. they don't want america first. you know why? because china doesn't want it. china expressed their wish. please get rid of america first, and the biden administration said oh, that's okay. we'll get rid of america first. no, we don't want to get rid of america first. we want to put america first. and other countries should put themselves first that. and i tell them that all the time. but we don't want to get rid of it. so i don't know what is going to happen. i know one thing. joe biden did not get 80 million votes. and i got 74 million, but there were many ballots thrown away. so i got much more than that. but i got $74 million. it's millions more than ronald reagan got when he won 49 states, i guess. he won 49 states, yes. and it's millions more, millions more than hillary clinton got. joe biden did not get. and by the way, joe biden did

not beat barack obama with the black vote. didn't beat him. but they have him as beating him. and if you look at the numbers, the numbers are false. the numbers are corrupt. it was a rigged election, 100%. that's why you have people marching all over the united states, right now. they know it was a rigged election. and look at what's happening in georgia. a lot of things are being found in georgia, and they are absolutely against showing -- i mean, it's a sad thing. they don't want to show signatures. it can be solved if you knshow signatures. but you're going to find that the people that signed aren't the people that are supposed to be signing. and then, somebody said, maybe, the envelopes were thrown out. there is tremendous fraud here. wait, just one second. if you look at 10:00 in the evening, you saw what happened.

and then, you have these massive dumps. nobody's ever seen anything like it. >> well, once again, none of what the president said about widespread election fraud or being cheated out of the presidency is true. joe biden won the election, and will be the next president of the united states. inaugurated, on january 20th. you can see the president's full news conference, next hour. well, coronavirus infections are spiking in california. the state counted more than 14,600 new cases, on thursday. and that is putting intense pressure on hospitals. some are running out of beds. cnn's stephanie elam reports. >> reporter: los angeles county health officials are very much concerned about a sharp increase in the number of hospitalizations related to the coronavirus. in fact, the officials are saying that, if this trajectory continues, as is, there could be a shortage of regular, as well as icu beds, in the next two to four weeks. county health officials, also,

pointing out that nearly 60% of those currently infected with the coronavirus are showing mild symptoms. and that is concerning because those people could spread it on to people who could become much more sick from the virus, and could potentially lose their lives is the fear there. what we also know is we're seeing this statewide, as well. as california has posted record numbers of new, daily cases, a couple of times in the last week or so. they are, also, saying that hospitalizations are above 7,000 right now. actually, rising 6% from the previous day. the other concern here is the number of icu beds that are available now. there are currently less than 2,000 that are available, according to the state. however, california governor, gavin newsom, did come out and say that the potential for a surge plan is already in place, where they could bring on 2,000 more icu beds and they could bring on 11 more facilities to help in that fact. but it's really concerning. as you see, icu admissions right now, in the state, are up nearly

60% over the last two weeks. and when you take into account how quickly the positivity rate has risen. right now, for the seven-day positivity rate, it stands at 6 and a half percent. stephanie elam, cnn, los angeles. now, the recent spike in cases could be most concerning for elderly americans. they, of course, are among the most vulnerable. and nursing homes are being especially hard hit. takes us inside a facility in connecticut that is not taking any chances. >> reporter: since the pandemic began, it's the physical connection with family kathy corey and other residents at this connecticut nursing home ache for. >> it's like my heart got ripped out some -- sometimes. >> i'm just waiting. >> waiting for what? >> yeah. to be able to hug again. >> reporter: especially, this time of year. >> the holidays are all about memories with the family.

it's hard enough not being with your family. but when they can't even come up and eat a meal with you or anything or visit, it's hard. >> reporter: in the spring, the coronavirus ravaged the northeast. nursing homes may have paid the heftiest price. to date, residents in long-term care facilities make up 8% of all cases in the u.s., but nearly half of the country's total deaths. >> it's like being in a battle. it's the same -- it's the same mentality. >> reporter: bill white is the owner of beachwood long-term care in connecticut. to keep residents safe, white put in place a strict, multi-layer system of checks to prevent covid-19 from infiltrating these walls. a health questionnaire and testing requirement for visitors. beachwood has gone through periods of denying visitations, outright. to allowing them, with restrictions. so far, beach wood's had just 14

cases since march. three of them, residents. the rest, staff. a success, by all accounts. >> we're really lucky to have such precautions taken. we didn't see that everywhere, and the people really paid the price. >> reporter: in the last week alone, connecticut saw 306 confirmed coronavirus cases of nursing-home residents. 39 people have died. a sign of where the state may be headed? last week, this once-abandoned nursing home became fully operational, again. it's reserved for covid-positive, long-term care residents. they're moved here to mitigate the virus spreading like a brush fire inside their own facilities. >> the amount of referrals we're getting, you know, asking can we take patients? you know, it's been very consistent since the day we opened. we haven't really had a slow moment. >> reporter: with help from the national guard, the state first opened this facility in april. it was one of four like it

needed in the spring to get control of cases. it closed in the summer, when the numbers went down. for now, the state is relying on just this building. but it hasn't ruled out the possibility of needing more space, as cases surge. on this day, eight sick, elderly patients were expected to arrive. we talk to charles miller, who was one of the first patients admitted. he is a beachwood resident, who tested covid positive while recovering from a stroke at the hospital. >> it's tough on the elderly. i think it's tough on everybody. >> reporter: miller tries to keep a good spirit. >> you look good. >> i feel great. >> reporter: because this thanksgiving will be the first away from his wife and family. seeing their loved one's face, even if it's just via a facetime visit is sometimes a critical piece if their care. >> reporter: miller's goal is to fight the virus, get back to beachwood, and join the family these residents have become. as they stick together and stay healthy. all, anxiously waiting for that

one thing. >> you will give him a hug, after this is all over. >> i will, indeed. a lot of hugs. >> i'm michael holmes. thanks for spending part of your day with me. "newsroom" continues, with paula newton, after the break. with an adjustable precision jet spray and an advanced pad system. and offers personalized cleaning suggestions unique to your home. braava jet m6 and the irobot home app. only from irobot. now you can trade stocks and etfs... bintroducing...stocks by the the islice from fidelity for any amount you choose... instead of buying by the share. and fidelity allows you to trade fractional shares of stocks and etf's for as little as one dollar. that's more choice and more flexibility than you'll find at schwab all with no commissions, no account fees and no minimums. stocks by the slice from fidelity. get your slice today.

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hello and welcome to our viewers here, in the united states, and around the world. i'm paula newton. live, from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, we will get straight to our top story, now. and this, in fact, has been a holiday season like we've never seen before. thanksgiving has come to a close