omicronCOVID-19

Last update:  5/31/22
This edition of our weekly guide provides an evolving framework for coping with the coronavirus beginning with the emergence of the Omicron variant in late November 2021 until the end of March 2022

(The edition that covered the Delta vs. mandates phase from July 2021 through November 2021 can be found on deltaCOVID-19. The edition that covered the surge in vaccinations during the first six months of the Biden administration can be found on our vacCOVID-19 page. The first edition that covered February 2020 through early December 2020 can be found on our oldCOVID-19 page.) Alerts about top stories are posted on the blog's @neoskeptics Twitter account on Sundays and Mondays; updates are posted throughout the week.

... under continuing reconstruction ...

Top stories 

Ten sections are divided into two groups: Dashboard and Publications.

Dashboard (sections A, B, and C) contains links to data pages on the Web that include the tables, maps, and charts most frequently cited by the publications in the second part of the guide. Readers who encounter references to COVID-19 data in a publication can quickly confirm (or refute) the citations by clicking appropriate links in the dashboard to the sources of the data.

Publications (sections D through J) contains links to reports, news articles, and opinions.  New links are added every day. Recent links are red; older links are blue. Most of the links in the dashboard sections are always red because they point to Web pages that are updated frequently by their editors, sometimes every day.

Older items in the publication sections whose content has been overcome by events are deleted. This enables the overall size of the publications sections to remain more or less the same as newer links are added. However enough older articles remain so that readers can always get a quick sense of where we are and how we got here by skimming the titles of the articles in chronological order.

A. Info | B. Mods | C. Trackers | D. World | E. U.S response | F. Context | G. Mandates | H. TreatVax | I. Opinions | J. Hindsight

... Dashboard ... 

A. Comprehensive information resources 
B. Medical impact models
  • Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluaton (IHME) Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), COVID-19, 5/6/22 ... Editor's note 1:  IHME displays "reported deaths" and "excess deaths" since early May 2021. IHME excess deaths from COVID for every country are higher than reported deaths, about 50 percent higher for the U.S. This methodology explained HERE
  • Midas, COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub
C. Focused Trackers ... Infections, Hospitalizations, Deaths, & Vaccines

... Publications ...

D. Exit strategies from the pandemic outside the U.S.
  • Africa, "As Omicron Variant Circles the Globe, African Nations Face Blame and Bans", Benjamin Mueller and Declan Walsh, NY Times, 11/27/21 
  • World, "Omicron drives new cases to record levels around the world", Bryan Pietsch and Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 12/27/21 
  • South Africa, "Omicron has passed peak in South Africa, causing relatively few deaths and hospitalizations, authorities say", Amy Cheng, Washington Post, 12/31/21 
  • South Korea, "South Korea, a Virus Success Story, Now Finds Its Model Unsustainable", Choe Sang-Hun, NY Times, 2/17/22 

  • World, "The pandemic’s official global toll surpasses 6 million known virus deaths.", Adeel Hassan, NY Times, 3/7/22 
  • China, "Surge of Omicron Infections Prompts Lockdowns in China",  Keith Bradsher, NY Times, 3/14/22 
  • Hong Kong, "High Death Rate in Hong Kong Shows Importance of Vaccinating the Elderly", Benjamin Mueller, NY Times, 3/21/22 
  • Africa, "Trying to Solve a Covid Mystery: Africa’s Low Death Rates", Stephanie Nolen, NY Times, 3/29/22 
U.S. response to coronavirus 
  • "C.D.C. Says Unvaccinated Students Exposed to Virus Can ‘Test and Stay’", Noah Weiland and Emily Anthes, NY Times, 12/17/21 
  • "F.D.A. Clears Pfizer’s Covid Pill for High-Risk Patients 12 and Older", Rebecca Robbins and Carl Zimmer, NY Times, 12/22/21   
  • "White House to distribute 400 million free N95 masks starting next week", Lena H. Sun and Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 1/19/22
  • "Government watchdog says HHS is at ‘high risk’ of botching a future crisis", Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 1/28/22  

  • "Younger Americans Benefited Less From Booster Shots Than Older People", Apoorva Mandavilli,  NY Times, 2/4/22 ... Note: Mostly Delta infections were analyzed, very little Omicron  
  • "N95, KN95 masks provide best protection against covid, CDC study shows", Lenny Bernstein and Frances Stead Sellers, Washington Post,  2/4/22
  • "New C.D.C. data adds to evidence that boosters’ protection against severe Covid plunges after four months.", Apoorva Mandavilli, NY Times ... CDC, 2/11/22    
  • "New C.D.C. Guidelines Suggest 70 Percent of Americans Can Stop Wearing Masks", Apoorva Mandavilli, NY Times, 2/26/22 

  • "National COVID-⁠19 Preparedness Plan", White House, 3/2/22  
  • "F.D.A. Allows Second Coronavirus Boosters for Everyone 50 and Older", Sharon LaFraniere, NY Times,  3/29/22
  • "Today, I announced a one-stop to get any and everything you need to deal with COVID ... Go to COVID.gov ... All the information is there.", @POTUS, 3/30/22 

F. U.S. context
  • "Covid News: U.S. Deaths Surpass 800,000", NY Times, 12/15/21    
  • "Omicron and children: Pediatric hospitals in parts of U.S. filling fast", Ariana Eunjung Cha and Jacqueline Dupree, Washington Post, 12/24/21   
  • "As At-Home Tests Surge, Doubts Rise About Accuracy of Public Covid Counts",  Sophie Kasakove, NY Times, 12/30/21  
  • "Omicron will infect ‘just about everybody,’ Fauci says", Andrew Jeong and Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 1/12/22  

  • "U.S. Has Far Higher Covid Death Rate Than Other Wealthy Countries", Benjamin Mueller and Eleanor Lutz, NY Times, 2/1/22
  • "U.S. Covid Death Toll Surpasses 900,000 as Omicron’s Spread Slows", Julie Bosman and Mitch Smith, NY Times, 2/5/22 
  • "Americans Are Frustrated With the Pandemic. These Polls Show How Much.", Nate Cohn, NY Times, 2/8/22  
  • "The Omicron wave accounts for many more U.S. deaths than Delta’s.", Maggie Astor, NY Times, 2/19/22  
  • "It’s ‘Alarming’: Children Are Severely Behind in Reading", Dana Goldstein, NY Times, 3/9/22 

  • "States Close Mass Test and Vaccine Sites, but Virus May Swell Anew", Julie Bosman and Sophie Kasakove, NY Times, 3/30/22  BackToTop

G. Mandates (U.S.) 
  • "Vaccine Mandates Rekindle Fierce Debate Over Civil Liberties", Mark Landler, NY Times, 12/10/21 
  • "Supreme Court Allows Vaccine Mandate for New York Health Care Workers", Adam Liptak, NY Times, 12/13/21 
  • "Appeals Court Reinstates OSHA’s Vaccine Mandate for Workers at Larger Businesses", Lauren Hirsch, Emma Goldberg and Charlie Savage, NY Times, 12/18/21 
  • "Anger over mask mandates, other covid rules, spurs states to curb power of public health officials", Amy Goldstein, Washington Post, 12/25/21

  • "Supreme Court Blocks Biden’s Virus Mandate for Large Employers", Adam Liptak, NY Times, 1/13/22 
  • "Masks Come Off in More States, but Not Everyone Is Grinning", Mitch Smith and Shawn Hubler, NY Times, 2/9/22  
  • "Dropping Indoor Mask Mandate, New York Joins Blue States Easing Covid Rules", Lisa Lerer, Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Astead W. Herndon, NY Times, 2/8/22
  • "California unveils plan to become first state to treat coronavirus as ‘endemic’ risk", Lateshia Beachum and Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 2/18/22 
     
  • "Appeals Court Revives COVID Lawsuits", Josh Moody, Inside Higher Ed, 3/9/22
H. Treatments, vaccines, testing, tracing, variants
  • "Covid Updates: South Africa Identifies New Variant", NY Times, 11/26/21  
  • "Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern",
     World Health Orgsnzation (WHO), 11/26/21  
  • "Prior Infection Is Little Defense Against Virus Variant, Scientists Say", Lynsey Chutel and Richard Pérez-Peña, NY Times, 12/2/21
  •  "Omicron Infections Seem to Be Milder, Three Research Teams Report", Carl Zimmer and Emily Anthes, NY Times, 12/22/21   

  • "Studies Suggest Why Omicron Is Less Severe: It Spares the Lungs", Carl Zimmer and Azeen Ghorayshi, NY Times, 12/31/21 
  • "Omicron’s impact better measured by rising hospitalizations than cases, Fauci says", Bryan Pietsch and Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 1/3/21  
  • "In Sewage, Clues to Omicron’s Surge", Emily Anthes and Sabrina Imbler, NY Times, 1/19/22  
  • "As Omicron Crests, Booster Shots Are Keeping Americans Out of Hospitals", Apoorva Mandavilli, NY Times, 1/21/22 

  • "Charting an Omicron Infection", Emily Anthes and Jonathan Corum, NY Times, 1/22/22 
  • "From obscurity to a Nobel Prize nomination: Houston scientists acclaimed for their patent-free COVID-19 vaccine", Karen Brooks Harper, The Texas Tribune, 2/10/21    
  • "Coronavirus Briefing: A Powerful New Vaccine", Jonathan Wolfe, NY Times, 2/23/22   
  • "‘Stealth’ Omicron Is Stealthy No More: What’s Known About the BA.2 Variant", Carl Zimmer, NY Times, 3/11/22 

  •  "Black adults were hospitalized at higher rates than whites during the U.S. Omicron wave.", Mike Ives, NY Times, 3/19/22
  • "The BA.2 subvariant of Omicron accounts for over half of new U.S. coronavirus cases, the C.D.C. estimates.", Adeel Hassan, NY Times, 3/30/22 
I. Notable opinions and long reads 
  • "For the Elderly, Complacency Could Be a Killer", Zeynep Tufekci, NY Times, 12/9/21 
  • "Most Covid Infections May Soon Be Breakthroughs. Here’s What That Means.", Eleanor Cummins, NY Times, 12/19/21
  • "The C.D.C. Is Hoping You’ll Figure Covid Out on Your Own", Zeynep Tufekci, NY Times, 1/5/22 
  • "Former Biden Advisers Urge a Pandemic Strategy for the ‘New Normal’", Sheryl Gay Stolberg, NY Times, 1/6/22  

  • "Biden’s Pandemic Fight: Inside the Setbacks of the First Year", Michael D. Shear, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Sharon LaFraniere and Noah Weiland, NY Times, 1/23/22  
  • "How Did We Fail So Badly?",  Emily Oster and Ashish Jha on America’s Covid Response, Kara Swisher, NY Times, 1/25/22 ... Sway podcast 
  • "What Japan Got Right About Covid-19", Hitoshi Oshitani, NY Times, 1/24/22
     
  • "Researchers are asking why some countries were better prepared for covid. One surprising answer: Trust.", Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 2/1/22  
  • "Can Public Health Be Saved?", James Hamblin, NY Times, 3/12/22 
J. Hindsight ... What really happened, why, and when should we have known it ...
  • "How Millions of Lives Might Have Been Saved From Covid-19", Zeynep Tufekci, NY Times, 3/11/22 

  • "The Long-Term Safety Argument over COVID-19 Vaccines", Andrew L. Croxford, Boston Review, 9/14/21 

  • "Show Me the Data!", Zeynep Tufekci, NY Times, 8/27/21
    Editor's note -- This op ed captures the essence of the CDC's failure to provide consistent guidance. The CDC does not collect the kinds of systematic data required to understand what's really happening with regards to many important challenges. Non-systematic data is only one or two steps above anecdotes. When the CDC gathers different non-systematic data, the CDC changes its guidance; but the unknown, underlying causal relationships may not have changed. As has been wisely said: "The plural of anecdote is not data" ... and neither is the plural of non-systematic data 

  • "COVID proved the CDC is broken. Can it be fixed?", Jeneen Interland, NY Times, 6/16/21
    ... Editor's comment -- This is a "must skim" article. It's a "TLDR" for most folks ("Too long; didn't read"), but its core message must be grasped by anyone who wants to understand why the U.S. continues to botch its handling of the pandemic so badly. Yes, President Trump bears ultimate responsibility for what happened in 2020; but this article presents a depressing, rambling look inside an agency that is underfunded and in a state of permanent disarray. If President Biden doesn't reorganize this crucial agency immediately, it will be his turn to bear ultimate responsibility for its future failures. For additional comments on this blog, see "An open letter to President Biden regarding the critical need to reorganize the CDC immediately")

  • "Reaching ‘Herd Immunity’ Is Unlikely in the U.S., Experts Now Believe", Apoorva Mandavilli, NY Times, 5/3/21 

  • Comprehensive reviews of scientific research on face masks -- "Face masks: what the data say", Lynne Peeples, Nature, 10/6/20 ... and the more recent "An evidence review of face masks against COVID-19", Jeremy Howard et al., PNAS, 1/28/21

  • "The CDC Waited 'Its Entire Existence for this Moment.' What Went Wrong", Eric Lipton, Abby Goodnough, Michael D. Shear, Megan Twohey, Apoorva Mandavilli, Sheri Fink and Mark Walker, NY Times, 6/3/20
    ... Editor's comment -- Similar conclusions were drawn by a subsequent note on this blog that also considered President Trump's task force ... "Where do we go from here?", 8/9/20

  • A Striking Disconnect on the Virus: Economic Pain With Little Illness", Michael H. Keller, Steve Eder and Karl Russell, NY Times, 6/6/20

  • "‘How Could the CDC Make That Mistake?’", Alexis C. Madrigal and Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, 5/21/20

  • Imperial College (London) ... Report 9  (4/16/20)(Note: This link is to the summary of the report on the model's projections. Readers should click the download link on the summary to obtain a copy of the full report. This is the report that caused the UK to drastically increase its mitigation efforts)

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