* “(The unvaccinated minority) can cause a lot of damage, and they are.”–President Joe Biden.
* Counterfeit masks and vaccination cards. Bogus pop-up test sites and tests. Those responsible: May there be a separate circle in hell.
* One thousand military medical personnel are being deployed across the country to help overwhelmed medical facilities ease staff shortages.
* Overall, approximately 63 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated.
* Less than half the population is fully vaccinated in Mississippi, Alabama, Wyoming and Idaho, deeply conservative states.
* Just over 17 percent of children 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated.
* The CDC continues to recommend that those age 2 and older, regardless of vaccination status, wear well-fitting masks while indoors in public spaces.
* Nearly all teenagers needing intensive care for COVID were unvaccinated.
* “The faster omicron spreads, the more opportunities there are for mutation, potentially leading to more variants.”–Boston University infectious disease epidemiologist Leonardo Martinez.
* Omicron mostly affects the upper respiratory system, rather than the lungs—which can mean shorter hospital stays for those who need treatment.
* The U.S. Army is offering a maximum enlistment bonus of $50,000 to highly-skilled recruits who sign up for 6 years. The Army has struggled to lure soldiers into certain critical jobs during the pandemic.
* About 13 percent of Florida’s COVID patients are currently in the ICU. During the peak of the delta variant, it was about 30 percent.
* Hillsborough County schools have reported more than 19,000 COVID cases since the school year began.