The U.S. hit an astonishing milestone Monday: 1,082,549 new COVID-19 cases,a firestorm of infections driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant. That's more than twice the case count seen anywhere else globally since the start of the pandemic, For comparison: The U.S. was averaging about 70,000 cases a day just two months ago.
Monday's eye-popping numbers could be due to delays in reporting over the holiday weekend. But they could also be an undercount: With so many people testing at home — and so many having trouble finding tests or not trying at all — the true number of case is likely much higher, says Natalie Dean, an assistant professor of biostatistics at Emory University.
That makes many wonder if these case numbers have any meaning at this point in the pandemic, but Dean says they're still useful because they reflect the level of infection in a community. Even if they aren't exact, she says, "We still are able to see these trends, these staggering increases in cases over time that really do reflect large epidemics."
Still, mayors, governors and the U.S. secretary of education have been speaking forcefully in favor of keeping schools open, and the vast majority of classrooms will stay open for in-person learning.
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Nam Y. Huh/AP
Skyrocketing COVID-19 infections and winter weather are wreaking havoc on air travel. Thousands of flights have been canceled, leaving travelers scrambling to figure out how to book new seats and get reimbursements. Here's what to do if you are one of them.
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