Will Stone

A Seattle hospital confronts the omicron surge. While COVID-19 patients aren't as sick compared to earlier waves, there is a record number of patients overall, and not enough staff to care for them.

Omicron may cause milder disease, but the sheer number of patients makes this wave far worse for the health care system. With packed emergency rooms, patients can wait days to get moved to a bed.

In the U.S., more people are hospitalized for COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic. The omicron variant has slammed ERs, but doctors say this surge feels different than earlier ones.

There are more patients and, in some places, not enough health care workers to go around. Research shows the crowding will impact care and increase mortality for all patients.

Some hospitals report less strain as omicron seems to cause less severe illness. But they're still overcrowded with patients. Research shows death rates rise significantly when hospitals are full.

Researchers are looking at data from U.S. cases to determine if the variant causes milder disease. Even if the answer is yes, they say, rates of hospitalization could be high during the surge.

Most people know the telltale signs of COVID-19. But given omicron's many mutations, are the common symptoms still the same? Doctors are noticing at least some differences with the new variant.

Scientists are trying to figure out why the omicron variant is spreading so much faster than delta did. Early research provides a few possible reasons.

The burning questions: What makes this newly identified variant so transmissible?. And what does it mean for preventing spread?

President Biden has rolled out a plan to help hospitals deal with omicron and the expected surge of patients. Experts say the support is welcome, but still doesn't go far enough.

Understaffed hospitals are already coping with increased patient demand heading into the holidays. They have few options to expand if omicron creates a huge new wave of COVID patients.

U.S. hospitals have a heads-up on omicron, but that doesn't mean they feel ready to deal with what could be a huge wave of patients infected by the new variant of COVID-19.

Many U.S. hospitals are already struggling with a wave of COVID-19 patients and now they are also racing to prepare for the omicron variant, which threatens to further accelerate hospitalizations.

Health care workers in the U.S. are eyeing the omicron variant of COVID-19 while the delta variant continues to put hospitals under stress.

The variant has spread through South Africa with remarkable speed — and been detected in at least 60 other countries. Specialists are trying to figure out the next stage for this unwelcome variant.

The omicron variant is gaining a foothold in Europe. Scientists say it is spreading faster than delta and can do so even in places where many people are vaccinated. What could this mean for the U.S.?

Scientists are scouring coronavirus samples for clues of the omicron variant. The U.S. is in a better position now than it was earlier to find the variant, but some part of the country may struggle.

Pfizer's CEO says the vaccine maker has asked federal regulators to authorize boosters for 16- and 17-year-olds. Currently, only people 18 and over are eligible for a booster in the U.S.

Booster shots have been authorized for all U.S. adults, and the government is urging people to get them. But what if you've already had COVID and the vaccine?

An expert panel of CDC advisers will meet to consider expanding COVID-19 booster eligibility to all adults. With cases rising in the U.S., how much can boosters really help?