With just one week before Christmas, the state’s fight against COVID-19 has taken a massive blow.

Friday saw a record-setting day as more than 21,000 New Yorkers tested positive for the virus. That's the most single-day cases recorded in the state since the beginning of the pandemic.

COVID cases are also skyrocketing nationwide and are showing no signs of letting up.

"It’s clear that omicron is an extremely contagious variant,” said Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health. “That it doubles every two to four days, and you just have to look at the projections of what that means and heed. We're in for a lot of cases of people getting infected with this virus."

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the numbers on Friday surpassed the record set 11 months ago. In Westchester County, the daily positivity rate was at a little over 7%. The latest numbers for Putnam, Orange and Sullivan counties are equally alarming.

Omicron, the newest coronavirus variant, appears to spread more than twice as quickly as delta, which had once been considered the most contagious version of the virus, leading White House Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci to again stress the need for booster shots.

To stop the surge, Hochul is announcing the opening of more than 40-new vaccination pop-up sites. One of those sites is opening Sunday in Mount Vernon at Grace Baptist Church at 52 South 6th Avenue from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.