But there have been plenty of other illnesses to go around.The New York Times reports that this winter’s Covid wave in the United States has been the mildest to date, providing a welcome reprieve from the onslaught of the virus. Despite the ongoing pandemic, there have been fewer cases, hospitalizations, and deaths compared to previous years. In fact, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was less Covid circulating over the holidays and less virus in the wastewater than during all the summer waves the program has tracked. This is a significant decrease from the peak of the Omicron surge at the end of 2021, when weekly deaths were topping 10,000. While the exact number of cases cannot be determined from wastewater data, it reflects a significant lull in the virus’s five-year assault. Experts believe that this could be due to a combination of factors, including lingering immunity from a large summer surge, a well-matched vaccine, and increased vaccination rates. Overall, this winter has been the gentlest in terms of hospitalizations and spread, according to epidemiologist and chief science officer for eMed, Michael Mina. This is a new low in the ongoing battle against Covid.
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