Disease Prevention

Omicron variant up to 3 times more infectious than Delta, CDC says The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is up to three times more infectious than the Delta variant, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. By Rhea Mogul, Adam Renton, Jack Guy and Ed Upright, CNN CNN

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A WHO official weighs in on Covid, vaccines, and mistakes that were made "The biggest collective failing has been that we've underestimated this microbe," the WHO's Mike Ryan says of SARS-CoV-2. Helen Branswell STAT

The Covid-19 pandemic has entered its third year, with no end in sight, and the world is fed up to the gills. A new and even more highly transmissible variant, Omicron, has been scorching through holiday gatherings over the past couple of weeks. People who are thrice vaccinated are among the infected.

Omicron puts pinch on Biden vaccine mandate efforts The rapidly spreading omicron variant poses a problem for the White House as officials try to convince a skeptical public that vaccine mandates are necessary. Nathaniel Weixel TheHill

The rapidly spreading omicron variant poses a problem for the White House as officials try to convince a skeptical public that vaccine mandates are necessary.