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World Health Organization officials on Wednesday criticized blanket Covid-19 vaccine booster programs as poor countries struggle to obtain initial doses, warning that the unequal access to immunizations could lead to more mutated variants that drag out the crisis. “Blanket booster programs are likely to prolong the pandemic, rather than ending it, by diverting supply to countries that already have high levels of vaccination coverage, giving the virus more opportunity to spread and mutate,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news briefing. (Miao, 12/22)

Just weeks ago, the U.S. was on track to end the pandemic in 2022. Then, omicron hit — throwing scientists’ projections into disarray. The rapidly spreading Covid variant is now responsible for 73% of U.S. cases, a rate which White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci called “unprecedented” during a Good Morning America appearance on Tuesday. Now, some researchers say omicron could actually hasten the virus’ transition from pandemic to endemic, albeit with large numbers of illnesses and potential deaths along the way. (Scipioni, 12/22)

Nearly two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, reported daily infections are rising again as the omicron variant spreads rapidly around the world, in countries ranging from the U.S. and the U.K. to South Africa and Australia. The World Health Organization labeled omicron a variant of concern. While much remains unknown about it, the WHO warned that the variant is spreading “significantly faster” than the delta strain and could change the course of the pandemic. Still, “2022 must be the end of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said Wednesday. (Lee, 12/22)

The U.S. Army has developed a vaccine it says may provide protection against all COVID-19 variants. The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) developed a 24-sided object to which it attached various protein spikes from coronavirus variants. The vaccine has completed phase 1 trials, but researchers have yet to test it against the omicron variant, an Army spokesman told Fox News. Researchers received a sample in early 2020 and focused efforts on developing a vaccine that would work against potential variants. Two years later, the initial results show promise. (Aitken, 12/22)

Vaccine programs with disproportionate wait times in communities of color could be deemed discriminatory, the Department of Health and Human Services said. The HHS Office for Civil Rights released a guidance Wednesday for health-care providers and systems that get federal funding. These groups must “ensure fair, equitable access to vaccines” to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Affordable Care Act, the HHS said. Race, color, national origin, and language spoken cannot be a barrier for communities to get vaccinated, the guidance said. (Reed, 12/22)

KHN: Watch: One City’s Effort To Raise Vaccination Rates Among Black Residents

About 72% of Americans have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine. During much of the vaccine rollout, Hispanic and Black Americans have been less likely than white Americans to get vaccinated. The gap between white and Hispanic Americans has largely closed, but the vaccination rate for the Black community still lags significantly behind. KHN correspondent Sarah Varney and PBS NewsHour producer Jason Kane report on how Hartford, Connecticut, has tried to close the gap in vaccination rates. (Varney and Kane, 12/23)