Looming threat of Omicron wave triggers early pandemic Dejavu
By Caroline Vakil - 12/18/21 11:32 AM EST
When the U.S. made COVID-19 vaccines available for all adults in the spring, Americans, including government officials, hailed the development as a turning point in the pandemic.
President Biden himself echoed the optimism that the U.S. may be turning a corner.
“Today we're closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus. That’s not to say the battle against COVID-19 is over. We’ve got a lot more work to do,” he said in July.
"It no longer paralyzes our nation, and it is within our power to make sure it never does again."
But fast forward to December, and pandemic history appears to be repeating itself.
In the course of just a few weeks this month, the omicron variant and a steep rise in U.S. cases has triggered COVID-19 restrictions reminiscent of the early part of the outbreak.
Professional sports leagues have begun postponing games, some schools have started transitioning to remote learning and city officials have acknowledged they were reconsidering implementing prior coronavirus protocols, like mask mandates.
The current situation in the U.S. has also promoted concern from health experts.
it gets worse
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/586420-looming-threat-of-omicron-wave-triggers-early-pandemic-dejavu