Fauci urges Americans to get Covid booster as US nears 800,000 deaths

Omicron is spurring new fears as US infections begin to surge again, with infections currently still led by the highly-transmissable Delta variant that has dominated since the summer.

Although vaccination rates, particularly boosters, have picked up significantly in recent weeks, about 40% of eligible adults in the US are still not fully protected, and the take-up rate for children ages five to 11, who are newly eligible, remains below 20%, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Experts are still discovering the characteristics of Omicron. CDC director Rochelle Walensky last week said that very preliminary data so far showed Omicron was comparatively mild.

Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, meanwhile, defended his new vaccine mandate for private employees.