Fauci says omicron COVID cases rising in ‘vertical spike’ but peak could come soon
Dr. Anthony Fauci said the new year is bringing bad news as the highly transmissible omicron variant powers a “vertical spike” in COVID-19 cases.
But even as omicron drives the worst caseloads of the entire pandemic, Fauci believes the wave could peak quickly.
“Cases are not going up gradually, they are going straight up,” Fauci told WPIX TV on Monday. “What we are hoping is you reach a peak and the cases come down rather quickly.”
The meteoric rise and fall in omicron cases is what doctors experienced in South Africa, where the new strain was first identified in late November.
Despite being much more contagious, omicron appears to cause less serious disease for the vaccinated than previous strains of COVID-19. And those who survive it will have some refreshed protection from other forms of the virus that are circulating.
That’s a great sign for eventually getting the pandemic under control, but first, the U.S. will have to endure a rough few weeks or more.
“The promising news is we have the tools to get out of it sooner than later,” said Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical adviser to the president.
—New York Daily News
Democrats search for path forward on Biden’s economic agenda
Senate Democrats begin the new year Monday seeking a path forward on President Joe Biden’s stalled domestic economic agenda, hoping to pass a slimmed-down version before midterm election campaigns begin.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is vowing to bring a revised version of the $2 trillion tax, climate and spending package to the floor for a vote as soon as this month, despite unresolved differences within his party that have stalled the legislation.
Schumer’s strategy still faces a major roadblock from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who stunned Biden and fellow Democrats in late December by saying he wouldn’t support the House-passed bill and was walking away from negotiations.
To gain Manchin’s support, Democrats will need to reimagine their wide-ranging social policy bill that funds health care initiatives, climate programs and new supports for children and families. Revising the bill will require scaling back some elements and cutting other programs entirely.
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said on MSNBC Sunday that it’s urgent for the Senate to pass a version of the Build Back Better plan that Manchin can support. She said she believes it is still possible to pass a bill based on an outline Manchin and Biden negotiated prior to the House passing its $2.2 trillion bill.
“He said that he just can’t do the bill that we passed out of the House,” she said. “As you remember we added some things that were not in the framework.”
—Bloomberg News
Michigan House launches safety task force after Oxford High School shooting
DETROIT — A bipartisan task force in the Michigan House will study safety in schools and policy solutions it hopes will help prevent further violence in the wake of the Nov. 30 Oxford High School shooting.
The eight-member task force will look at practical ways to improve safety protocols at schools as well as ways to assess and improve student mental health.
The committee hopes to have recommendations within the first few months of 2022.
"Outside of Oxford, I think everyone can see just the tremendous increase in demand for school mental health help," said Rep. Luke Meerman, a Coopersville Republican. "It was there before COVID, and just has been exacerbated by COVID."
The task force is made up of four Republicans and four Democrats: Meerman; Republican Reps. Scott VanSingel of Grant; Gary Eisen of St. Clair Township; Pamela Hornberger of Chesterfield Township; and Democrats Kelly Breen of Novi; Ranjeev Puri of Canton Township; Sara Cambensy of Marquette; and Terry Sabo of Muskegon.
The task force was formed after the rampage at Oxford High School, where 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley is alleged to have shot 10 students and a teacher. Four students were killed: Hana St. Juliana, 14, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, Tate Myre, 16, and Justin Shilling, 17.
—The Detroit News
Iranian president threatens Trump with revenge for Soleimani killing
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday threatened former U.S. president Donald Trump with revenge for the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
"Trump personally ordered the assassination of the general and must therefore be tried as the chief murderer in an international court," Raisi said in a statement marking the second anniversary of Soleimani's death.
Should Trump not face trial for his actions, Raisi warned: "Muslims will take our martyr's revenge," adding that the U.S. airstrike that killed Soleimani was in fact an attack on the entire Iranian population, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.
Soleimani, who was commander of the elite Quds Force, the military intelligence wing of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Jan. 3, 2020.
According to Tehran, Soleimani had been on a diplomatic mission at the time of the assassination. Iran has demanded revenge while condemning the international community's silence on the matter.
—dpa
