I won't repeat the  Worldometer  data for yesterday, but you should know that, while the new deaths in the U.S. dropped from 1658 to 1264, the new case figure slightly rose from 131K to 133K.  The scary jumps are the Omicro variant-induced new cases in South Africa:   Tuesday  4300 Wednesday  8600 Thursday  11,500  The latest news about COVID-19, although there won't be anything conclusive about the Omicron variant for several weeks: Having had previously contracted this ailment won't necessarily protect you much from the Omicron variant.  Hawaii's only case was to someone who previously had contracted COVID-19 who did not travel, meaning that this variant has already been established here. While vaccines appear to still be working, the efficiency has almost surely dropped. If you are younger than fifty, the odds are very, very low that you will die if you get infected. The unvaccinated and those over 65 will be significantly aided by Paxlovid, the new Pfizer PILL to av