Boosters may be the hot item this Christmas, the lead starts right now.

New data that the third time's the charm to keep away the new COVID variant as it pops

up in nearly half the states in the U.S., verdict watch and the trial of actor Jussie

Smollett could he go to prison for allegedly staging a phony hate crime against himself

and then lying to police. Plus, Secret Santa's and scandals the U.K.'s Prime Minister now

in hot water for allegedly throwing a Christmas party during peak COVID lockdowns.

Welcome to the lead-up, Jake Tapper, and we begin today with the health lead in the

first real signs that existing vaccines might protect against the new Omicron variant

of coronavirus, Pfizer today revealing new lab research that finds three doses of its

vaccine will provide even better protection at 25-fold increase in antibody levels compared

to just two doses, President Biden calling the announcement encouraging.

Right now about 72% of the adult U.S. population is vaccinated only about a quarter, however,

received a booster shot. And the CNN's Alexander Field reports for us now that number will

surely have to tick up as Omicron spreads into 21 states.

To be protected of Omicron, you really need a three-dose serious vaccination.

Promising news from Pfizer on the efficacy of its vaccine against the Omicron variant

based on early data.

Three doses against Omicron are almost equivalent to the two doses effectiveness we had against

the wild type, the original variant.

The company saying just two doses may still provide protection against severe disease,

but adding that a booster increases protection by about 25 times.

Dovetailing with that data, a very small study in South Africa showing the variant can

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