The Omicron fueled Covid surge has shattered records, infected tens of millions of Americans, and pushed hospitals to the brink. Now it’s appeared to be relenting. There are now an average of seven hundred thousand new infections a day. That’s down ten percent over past week. But it’s not all good news, because the deaths are still rising, now averaging more than two thousand a day.

As those new infections are starting finally to plateau, the CDC is now pointing three new studies that show just how effective vaccines and boosters are at keeping people away from the hospital. Omicron is treating in parts of the country, but it remains relentless in many hospitals, straining ICUs, and push healthcare workers to the brink. Covid hospitalizations jumped thirty percent, and deaths forty-four percent in the past two weeks with the West and Midwest hit especially hard. The pace of first shot is slowing, about a third of eligible Americans still not fully vaccinated, and less than half are boosted, even as studies show third Pfizer or Moderna shot reduces the risk of hospitalization with Omicron by eighty-two percent. Starting today, visitors from Mexico and Canada entering the US by car, train or ferry must show proof of vaccination. But pushback to vaccine and masking mandates rages on. A Virginia mom is facing criminal charges after making a threat at a school board meeting. That parent apologized, and while more challenges to mandates keep making their way through the courts, the federal government is giving out the good masks, the N-95, starting next week for free. They’ll be available at pharmacies and health centers across the country.

:::tip relenting

• : to become less severe, harsh, or strict usually from reasons of humanity. 变得温和，减轻，缓和

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:::tip confiscate

• : appropriated by the government : FORFEITED. 充公，没收

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