Covid Round-Up

🦠 The Biden administration ordered private insurers to cover the cost of up to eight over-the-counter Covid tests per month per covered individual starting this Saturday. A quick recap of other virus-related news:

• The CDC estimates omicron made up 97% to 99% of all new cases for the week ending Saturday.
• The US reported a record seven-day average of nearly 140,600 people hospitalized with Covid yesterday; many people are showing up at hospitals for other reasons and then testing positive, according to some hospital and state data.
• The current seven-day moving average of US deaths is 1,633 – roughly half the 3,000+ per day seen in January 2021, when the previous hospitalization record was set.
• CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Friday revealed that 75% of deaths among fully vaccinated individuals occurred in people "who had at least four comorbidities."
• A handful of countries, including parts of Canada and Peru, are re-entering lockdowns due to a recent surge in cases and hospitalizations. On Monday, China, the only major country still pursuing a zero-Covid strategy, locked down its third city in as many weeks.

+Connecting the dots... Many global companies, including Samsung, Toyota, Nike, and Volkswagen, have reported recent supply-chain disruptions due to omicron lockdowns (especially in China).