New York’s omicron surge points to a tidal wave of mild cases, with hospitals warning that staff are exhausted and short-staffed because of sickness, hampering the isolation and care of Covid-19 patients,
Omicron has pushed the MTA's absentee rate among subway operators up to 21 percent. This week, the MTA is reporting that 1,300 train operators and conductors are out because they've tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to someone who has. While no subway stations have been shut down, service has slowed on many lines and been completely suspended on the B, W, and Z lines. As a state-run agency, the MTA does not yet have a vaccine mandate for its workforce. (The New York Times)
President Biden and his administration are preparing Americans to accept Covid-19 as a part of daily life, in a break from a year ago when he took office pledging to rein in the pandemic and months later said the nation was “closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus,”
The shift comes as the country braces for another round of disruptions wrought by a surge in cases, leaving many Americans confused by evolving state and local requirements for masks and for schools. The White House has dismissed the need for lockdowns and urged schools to remain open.
Some families say they are spending hundreds of dollars on Covid-19 testing during the surge in cases across the country, as efforts by the Biden administration and local officials to distribute free tests lag behind Omicron’s rapid spread,
Facing hourslong lines at free testing sites, some people have turned to companies that sell more-convenient lab tests, in some cases at prices of more than $200. Until free tests are more widely available, some people say they will continue to pay for over-the-counter, at-home tests.
- Skipping tests leaves many people unable to determine whether they are infected and potentially exposing others. Those who do manage to get at-home tests rarely report the results.