Mega corporations such as General Electric, 3M, Verizon, and Oracle have hedged their bets and removed their vax requirements. Amtrack joined this growing list and cited the court's decision to halt enforcement of Biden's mandate just as the railroad company had begun cutting services due to staff shortages.

Author Alex Berenson wrote that only 15% of children ages 5 to 11 have received the Covid-19 vaccine, despite a massive advertising and media campaign. In addition, there has been an exponential decline in willingness to take a third booster shot.

Big stories coming later today.

But first this hopeful analysis: don't let the rise in case numbers fool you. Culturally and politically, the United States appears to be putting Covid in the rear-view mirror.

And since Covid was always much more a cultural and political problem than a existential threat – or even a medical threat to almost anyone in halfway decent health – spring is coming. Omicron will likely accelerate this trend, unless the South African data are completely wrong.