Omicron is now the dominant U.S. COVID variant. Is it as contagious as measles?

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Is-omicron-as-contagious-as-the-measles-Here-s-16717381.php

With startling speed, the immensely contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus has become the dominant strain in the U.S.

The omicron variant accounted for 73% of new infections in the United States last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a sharp rise from 13% the prior week.

In some places, such as New York, the prevalence of omicron is at over 90%, federal authorities said. Its prevalence is unclear in California, which has not updated its variant sequencing numbers since last Wednesday, when the state tallied just 49 omicron cases — a number that by now is certain to be vastly higher.

President Biden will address the nation on Tuesday about the threat posed by the variant.

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First Omicron Death in U.S. Was Reinfection—A Warning to Those Who've Already Had COVID

https://www.newsweek.com/first-omicron-death-reinfection-warning-covid-texas-1661503

he first confirmed death from the Omicron variant in the U.S. was a reinfection, serving as a warning to people who have already had COVID-19.

Health officials in Harris County, Texas, reported on Monday that a man aged between 50 and 60 had died after testing positive for Omicron.

The man, who was not named, had previously been infected with COVID-19, health officials said. They added that the patient was "at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19 due to his unvaccinated status and underlying health conditions."

Harris County Public Health Director Barbie Robinson said the man's death was "a reminder of the severity of COVID-19 and its variants."

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A new congressional report shows how Donald Trump sabotaged the country’s early response to COVID.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/12/the-sad-new-details-of-how-trump-sabotaged-the-countrys-response-to-covid.html

Read this - it's way worse and WAY more cynical than even the most vicious and stupid than 95% of what Trump-haters were accusing him of doing.