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The number of Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 reached 200 million Wednesday amid a dispiriting holiday-season spike in cases and hospitalizations that has hit even New England, one of the most highly inoculated corners of the country. New cases in the U.S. climbed from an average of nearly 95,000 a day on Nov. 22 to almost 119,000 a day this week, and hospitalizations are up 25% from a month ago. The increases are due almost entirely to the delta variant, though the omicron mutation has been detected in about 20 states and is sure to spread even more. (Tareen and McDermott, 12/8)

Even before the omicron variant establishes a firm foothold in the U.S., coronavirus infections and hospitalizations are soaring again, including in highly vaccinated regions like New England. The combination of the late fall's colder weather, holiday gatherings, increased travel and pandemic fatigue has likely played a major role in the surge, as has the failure to vaccinate a larger portion of the population. More than 35% of eligible Americans, including 28% of adults, still aren't fully vaccinated. New cases in the U.S. climbed from an average of nearly 95,000 a day on Nov. 22 to almost 119,000 a day this week, and hospitalizations are up 25% from a month ago. The increases are almost entirely from the delta variant, though omicron has been confirmed in at least 21 states and is sure to spread even more. (Ortiz, Santucci and Yancey-Bragg, 12/8)

The new data, which provide cause of death information down to the county level for 2020 and January through October of this year, have more detail, more recently, on deaths during the pandemic than ever before. Information included – such as where someone died, what other causes of death were on the death certificate or whether a body was autopsied – can point to communities where COVID-19 deaths have been undercounted. Public health experts say the true death toll of the pandemic in the U.S. is upwards of 20% higher than the official tally. That’s based on research showing that deaths attributed to COVID-19 do not account for all of the increased deaths in 2020 and 2021 when compared to prior years. Researchers call the number of deaths above a typical year “excess deaths.” (Bergin, Ladyzhets, Chatterjee and Kravitz, 12/9)

Caitlin Reynolds, a single mother, was happy that her son, L.J., was finally settled into fourth grade after a rocky experience last year with remote learning. Then, on Wednesday, Nov. 17, an announcement: Detroit public schools would close their classrooms every Friday in December. There would be virtual school only. On Friday, a follow-up announcement: School was also canceled starting that Monday, for the entire week of Thanksgiving. This time, there would be no online option. ... After a few months of relative calm, some public schools are going remote — or canceling classes entirely — for a day a week, or even for a couple of weeks, because of teacher burnout or staff shortages. (Heyward, 12/8)