Skip to main content

Coronavirus Watch: Has omicron surge 'turned a corner'?

Grace Hauck   | Paste BN

America's tally of new cases this week ticked down slightly for the first time since Christmas, a Paste BN analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

The U.S. reported 5.23 million cases in the week ending Tuesday, down from 5.28 million cases in the seven-day period ending Monday, reporter Mike Stucka found. The earlier tally likely included tests deferred into that week from a long holiday weekend. 

Modeling by several universities shows the wave of infections fueled by the omicron variant may have crested – and hospitalizations and deaths should follow. More on that here.

It's Wednesday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know:

  • Omicron results in less severe disease than other variants, a study of data from 70,000 patients in Southern California revealed, supporting similar research from South Africa and Britain.
  • Just over 17% of U.S. children ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated, more than two months after shots for the age group became available.
  • The White House announced plans Wednesday to send an additional 5 million rapid tests to schools each month, at no cost, as some districts struggle to return to in-person learning.
  • Students in the nation’s third-largest school district returned to classrooms Wednesday after missing five days of instruction amid a standoff between city leaders and the Chicago Teachers Union over COVID-19 safety protocols. 
  • The consumer price index jumped 7% last year, the fastest pace since 1982, the Labor Department said Wednesday. COVID-driven worker shortages and supply-chain bottlenecks were blamed.
  • The U.S. is facing its worst blood shortage in more than a decade, largely as a result of a drop in blood drives because of the pandemic, the American Red Cross said.

See our COVID-19 resource guide here. See total reported cases and deaths here. On vaccinations: About 74% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 62% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck

Facebook Twitter Email