U.S. legislators were given a dire warning by Dr. Janet Woodcock, Acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner: Police, hospitals and transport services must not be disrupted as an unprecedented outbreak of omicron infection across the nation forces citizens to dial 911.

Woodcock stated that it was difficult for him to understand what is actually going on right now. He testified in front of the Senate’s health committee. We need to make sure that hospitals, transport, and other vital services can continue functioning while this is happening.

Similar to last winter, when officials tried to stop the spread of Covid in the United States, businesses and public services across the country are cutting back on hours and even closing temporarily. However, this year so many people are ill with the virus that it is disrupting public services, which are being maintained by officials.

As Covid workers increase in number, the emergency services face challenges to provide enough staffing for police officers, firefighters, and EMTs from New York and Los Angeles. New York’s transit systems and Chicago’s airports are temporarily suspending services or cutting them altogether. Airlines are also cutting flights, and officials in New York have had to quarantine themselves at home due to high-contagious omicron virus. This variant penetrates through vaccine protection to send large numbers of people who are not vaccinated to the hospital.

According to CNBC’s analysis of Johns Hopkins University data, the U.S. had a record-breaking pandemic of nearly 1.5 million Covid infection cases on Monday. There were an average of 750,000 infections per day for the past week. Compare this to the average daily 750,000 new Covid cases per day for the same period last year.

Hospitalizations are also higher than last winter’s peak — before the widespread distribution of vaccines — and continue to rise. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 152,000 Americans were treated with Covid on Wednesday. This is an 18% increase over last week.

Gillian Schmitz (president of the American College of Emergency Physicians) said that many places in the nation are reaching the point where their back-up staff is getting sick. According to Schmitz, the stress on the frontline workers has never been greater during the current pandemic. This surge in cases is affecting staffing across the country, she said.

Even before the U.S. detected the Omicron variant early December, there was a shortage in nurses at hospitals. In September, the American Nurses Association called upon the Biden administration for a declaration of a nursing shortage as a national emergency. The delta variant was causing severe problems in several parts of the country.

Ernest Grant, President of ANA at the time stated that: “The country’s health delivery system is overwhelmed and nurses are exhausted and frustrated as this persisting pandemic rages on without any end in sight.” Grant stated that nurses alone could not solve the long-standing problem and it was not their burden.

By forcing nurses to make sick calls, the omicron variant could worsen long-standing staff shortages in hospitals. Even though nurses are generally fully vaccinated in most cases, the omicron variant can still evade certain shots and cause breakthrough infections all over the country.

“The abrupt and steep increase in cases caused by omicron has resulting in unprecedented daily count counts, sickness and absenteism on our health-care systems,” Dr. Rochelle Wilensky, CDC Director, told journalists at a White House Covid-19 briefing Wednesday. To help ease potential staffing shortages, the agency last month slashed the isolation time for some health-care workers who get Covid — a controversial move that’s come under fire by nursing groups across the country.

Biden’s administration deployed thousands of nurses and doctors to help overwhelmed hospitals. It also directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to deploy ambulances and other EMS personnel to take patients to emergency rooms.

As omicron makes it mandatory for people to dial 911, staffing problems are also facing transit agencies and police departments. Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles stated that as of Thursday, more than 800 Los Angeles firefighters and officers had been left at home by positive Covid results.

“This is an extraordinarily difficult time. Garcetti stated that the omicron version has grown like wildfire during a press conference.

According to FDNY, New York City’s 18% of EMS personnel and 13% firefighters were sick with Covid on Tuesday. This is down from the 30% and 18% respectively for firefighters and EMS a few days earlier. CNBC was informed Tuesday by the New York City Police Department that 12.5% were out of work as of Friday.

New York’s Subway, one of the most important in the country, is also a landmark. suspended service on some linesBecause of staff shortages due to omicron. Chicago Transit Authority operates the country’s second-largest public transit system. told the publicCovid can cause disruptions in service as employees call out sick.

Officials in high ranking cities and states are also being affected by the virus. Lori Lightfoot of Chicago was quoted as saying Tuesday, “The virus is also infecting top city and state officials.” tested positive for CovidLightfoot will continue to work at home as she isolates those with symptoms resembling cold-like. Lightfoot stated that she had been fully vaccinated. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, West Virginia Governor, announced Wednesday morning that he had also been tested positive, even though he was fully vaccinated.

Because of omicron infection among their staff, airlines began to cancel flights right before Christmas. United, JetBlue Airways and Alaska Airlines have reduced January flights as Covid cases rise. This has left them with fewer pilots and the other staff they require.

The CEO of United, on Monday, stated that Covid’s positive outlook was reflected in the fact that Covid had 3,000 U.S. workers (or 4%).

“Just an example. In Newark, it took one whole day. [New Jersey]Scott Kirby, a member of the staff, stated that nearly one third of our employees called in sick.

The White House’s chief medical advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci explained Tuesday to the Senate health committee that the timing of the peak in the omicron waves is uncertain due to variations in the vaccination coverage in the United States. Fauci indicated that infections can rise in certain parts while falling elsewhere.

Fauci stated that the virus is very clever to lawmakers during the hearing. “It has fooled everybody all the time — from the time it first came in to delta to now omicron — it’s very unpredictable and we’re doing the best we possibly can.”

This report was contributed by Nate Rattner and Leslie Josephs of CNBC