COVID-19 Update

Stop bitchin' about how the guidance keeps changing.

That's just how it works with new shit.

Pay attention

and don't be such a crybaby about it.

WaPo: (freebie)

Record 4,000 children hospitalized amid U.S. omicron surge

More than 4,000 children were hospitalized with covid-19 across the United States on Wednesday, Washington Post figures show, marking a new high that towers above previous peaks set during the summer when the delta variant was driving up infections.

The tally, which includes confirmed as well as suspected pediatric covid-19 patients, reflects a steep rise in infections in that group. Less than two weeks ago, on Christmas Day, fewer than 2,000 children were in hospitals with covid. The seven-day average of pediatric hospitalizations was slightly lower at 3,713. Hospitalizations of adults are also rising rapidly.

What is ‘flurona’? Coronavirus and influenza co-infections reported as omicron surges.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending that children ages 12 to 17 get a Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine booster. “It is critical that we protect our children and teens from covid-19 infection and … severe disease,” Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said Wednesday.

Here’s what to know

• The American Medical Association has criticized the CDC’s new quarantine and isolation recommendations, saying the lack of a testing component could cause further spread of the virus. Here’s what the guidance says about how long you need to isolate or quarantine.
• The U.S. Postal Service has asked for a temporary waiver from President Biden’s vaccine mandate, setting up a showdown between the president and one of the government’s largest agencies. The Supreme Court is set to hear special arguments on the issue on Friday.
• The omicron variant represented 95 percent of all U.S. coronavirus cases for the week ending Jan. 1, according to the CDC. This chart shows how fast the variant is spreading around the world.