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More signs emerged that the Omicron wave is taking a less serious human toll in Europe than earlier phases of the pandemic, while U.S. data showed daily average deaths from the disease exceeding the peak reached during the surge driven by the previously dominant Delta variant. In the U.S., the seven-day average for newly reported Covid-19 deaths reached 2,258 a day on Tuesday, up about 1,000 from daily death counts two months ago, data from Johns Hopkins University show. That is the highest since February 2021 as the country was emerging from the worst of last winter’s wave. (Kamp, Onque and Stancati, 1/26)

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the omicron variant of the coronavirus now accounts for 99.9% of new COVID-19 cases. The delta variant – which spiked last summer but was not as transmissible – now makes up just 0.1% of that number. According to data from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, the U.S. saw 429,510 new cases in the past day and 2,911 new deaths. While cases numbers are down from the variant of concern's peak in certain states earlier this month, deaths have reached the highest level since early last year. (Musto, 1/26)

West Virginia shattered its previous record for COVID-19 hospitalizations on Wednesday as state coronavirus czar Dr. Clay Marsh warned the current surge has “not come close to peaking yet.” According to the Department of Health and Human Resources website’s dashboard, 1,043 people — including 15 children — were hospitalized because of the virus Wednesday. The previous high for hospitalizations was 1,012, set in September during the late summer surge driven by the delta variant. Of those hospitalized, 225 people — including three children — are in intensive care units and 107 are receiving care on ventilators. About 68% of those hospitalized are unvaccinated, according to the dashboard. (Coyne, 1/26)

California has now surpassed 8 million cumulative coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic, the end result of weeks of unprecedented spread fueled by the highly infectious Omicron variant. The milestone, equivalent to roughly 1 out of every 5 residents having been infected at some point, comes amid growing signs that Omicron has finally peaked — but not before tearing through California’s communities. Since New Year’s Day, 2.5 million coronavirus cases have been reported in California. That’s fast approaching the entire statewide caseload reported all of last year: 3.1 million. (Money, Lin II and Alpert Reyes, 1/26)

A large UK study yesterday in PLOS Medicine finds that COVID-19 patients released from the hospital were more than twice as likely as the general population to be rehospitalized or die within the next 10 months. They were also at nearly five times the risk for death from any cause. (1/26)

More than 1.1 million children were diagnosed with COVID-19 in the week ended Jan. 20. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics' Children and COVID-19: State Data Report, nearly 1,151,000 child COVID-19 cases were reported in that timeframe. The number marks a 17% increase over the 981,000 added cases reported the week ended Jan. 13. It is also a doubling of case counts from the two weeks prior. Since the onset of the pandemic, the group said that more than 10.6 million children have tested positive for the disease. (Musto, 1/26)

The Mississippi Health Department said Wednesday that a child has died of COVID-19. This was the state’s 10th pediatric death from the coronavirus since pandemic started in 2020. The department said it would not release the child’s name or hometown. It said all 10 of the children who died were unvaccinated but didn’t say how many were eligible for vaccination when they got sick. Some died before COVID-19 vaccinations became available for children 5 or older. The department said booster shots are recommended for people older than 12. (1/26)

An additional 91 COVID-19 deaths were reported in Los Angeles County on Wednesday, the second-highest daily total of the Omicron surge. One of the deaths was a 15-month-old, the youngest child to die of COVID-19. “This is the youngest resident to die of COVID-19 since the pandemic began and a stark reminder that the virus can cause devastating outcomes among those most vulnerable, including young children not yet eligible for vaccinations,” the county said in a statement. No details about the death were released. (Lin II and Money, 1/26)

Five Lame Deer high school and elementary school staff members have died from covid-19, and a sixth was lost to another illness. In this tribal community where many people are related, these and other deaths have deeply affected residents, school staff, and students. (Van Alstyne, 1/26)

As the omicron variant spread in Chicago, area hospitals saw more children testing positive for COVID-19 and hospitalized. Some were there because of illness and some for other reasons but happened to also test positive. For many children who caught COVID-19 and remained asymptomatic or with mild illness, this was the first time their families faced a scenario where the child tested positive — but the rest of the family remained negative. These families enter a gray area of guidance because isolation and quarantine tips tend to be geared toward adults who can be left alone if needed. It’s a different story when an infant or toddler needs to be isolated from other family members, especially if the family members are at higher risk. (Bowen, 1/26)

In the face of teacher shortages due to the omicron surge, Aldine ISD has approved a plan to cancel classes for the next three Fridays. The decision has riled up some working parents who will have to find child care on short notice. Aldine ISD teachers who are experiencing rising workloads as COVID cases increase will still report to work and use the next three Fridays as staff planning days, Superintendent LaTonya Goffney said in a message to parents on Jan. 24. The school board approved the plan by amending the academic calendar to make Jan. 28, Feb. 4 and Feb. 11 Student Holidays/Staff Planning Days. The days will not be made up, Goffney said. (Shelton, 1/26)