The U.S. has hit a new record average of daily COVID-19 cases, with 254,496 new cases reported in the last week as of Tuesday. That shatters a previous record from all the way back in January. Much of that increase is being fueled by the Omicron variant, and while vaccinated and boosted individuals may only experience mild symptoms from Omicron, experts stress that is not the case for unvaccinated people. The surge is also affecting children, with pediatric hospitalizations up 35 percent in just the past week. (Articles here, here, here, and here)