After two years of cancellations and alternative celebrations, cities across the country are getting ready to bring back fireworks, parades, barbecues and picnics, and other Fourth of July festivities. But with the rise of the BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5 subvariants of omicron, the U.S. finds itself in a familiar position: the threat of another COVID-19 surge. Earlier this spring the Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention updated its masking guidelines, which has been a key mitigating factor over the course of the pandemic. Masking guidance now correlates with the impact of COVID-19 on local hospitals in a specific county. In...

Article Link