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Oil Prices Rise As API Confirms Crude Inventory Draw

This week, the American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated the inventory draw for crude oil to be 3.670 million barrels. U.S. crude inventories have shed some 65 million barrels since the beginning of the year. In the previous week, the API reported a draw in oil inventories of 815,000 barrels, compared to the 2.60-million-barrel draw that analysts had predicted. At the start of the day at 7:30 a.m. EST WTI had risen by more than 1% to $69.73, but was still $1 per barrel week on week. Brent was also trading up by more than 1% at $72.56—also $1 under last week’s levels.  Oil prices were trading up by more than 3% on Tuesday in the run-up to the data release, after a brutal Monday that saw prices dip as much as 5% on fresh Omicron fears.

U.S. oil production has been on a slow but steady climb.  For the week ending December 10—the last week for which the Energy Information Administration has provided data—crude oil production in the United States came in at 11.7 million bpd for the second week in a row—an increase of 700,000 bpd since the start of the year. The API reported a build in gasoline inventories of 3.701 million barrels for the week ending December 17—after the previous week’s 426,000-barrel build. Distillate stocks saw a decrease in inventory of 849,000 barrels for the week, after last week’s 1.016-million-barrel decrease. Cushing saw a 1.272 million-barrel increase this week.

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Biden plan to spur 200 million-500mln COVID tests to market -Fauci

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Biden administration’s use of the Defense Production Act should help get 200 million to 500 million COVID-19 tests to market, Dr. Anthony Fauci told MSNBC in an interview on Tuesday. The nation’s top infections disease official, speaking before President Joe Biden’s unveils his latest plan to combat COVID-19 amid the Omicron variant, also said officials were weighing a shorter recommended quarantine period for healthcare workers. NN: As you know we have been urging and providing test kits for over 6 months. It is a outrage that finnaly those berecratic picks are getting around to home testing. Its a clown show

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Wall Street kicks off higher, Dow soars 350 pts

Major stock markets in the United States opened deep in the green territory following the news that President Joe Biden and Senator Joe Manchin continued discussions on approving the Build Back Better economic plan. During the premarket’s session, the White House announced it will provide half a million COVID-19 at-home tests for free starting from next year to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. The Dow Jones climbed 0.98% or 344 points at the opening bell, with Nike advancing 7.66%. The Nasdaq 100 surged 1.08% or 170 points, as Micron Technology gained 8.79%. The S&P 500 gained 0.85%. The euro stood flat versus the dollar at 9:35 am ET to sell for 1.12765. NN: As we spoke about yesterday in Market News and Commentary this rally is not over. Until the Fed stops buying everything in sight and they raise rates this rally still has legs. More money will be lost by the most people ever when Judgement day arrives. Once again why you see why i want to keep our powder dry. Soon we are going to have our biggest party ever.

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UK’s Johnson to say in 48 hours whether more COVID rules needed….. Europe weighs Omicron curbs as Biden turns to military medics

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to make an announcement in the next 48 hours on whether to impose “circuit-breaker” restrictions in England to stem the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, The Sun newspaper reported on Tuesday. It said Johnson is considering a return to “Step 2” curbs that would limit pubs and restaurants to outdoor service only and ban indoor mixing between households.
Europe weighs Omicron curbs as Biden turns to military medics
  • German scientists urge maximum curbs at once

* U.S. calling in military doctors to support hospitals

* NZ border reopening pushed to late February

* Restrictions reimposed in South Korea, Germany, Ireland

* Australian PM pleas for an end to lockdowns

LONDON, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Countries across Europe considered new curbs on movement on Tuesday as U.S. President Joe Biden called on military medics to support hospitals and fight the Omicron variant that has swept the world days before the second Christmas of the pandemic. Omicron infections are multiplying across Europe, the United States and Asia, including in Japan, where a single cluster https://www.reuters.com/world/coronavirus-cluster-linked-us-base-japan-grows-least-180-2021-12-20 of COVID-19 cases at a military base has grown to at least 180. Biden https struck a dire tone about the risks to the one in four American adults who remain unvaccinated. He will lay out new initiatives on testing on Tuesday, a senior administration official said. The measures include activating some 1,000 military medical personnel to support hospitals that are already being overwhelmed. Germany, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and South Korea are among countries to have reimposed partial or full lockdowns or other social distancing measures in recent days. Nicola Sturgeon, first minister of Scotland – part of the United Kingdom but with devolved responsibilities for health – set out plans for further restrictions on big public events, including sports fixtures, for three weeks after Christmas. “It will also mean unfortunately that large scale Hogmanay celebrations, including that planned here in our capital city (Edinburgh), will not proceed,” she said, refering to traditional Scottish New Year parties. New Zealand COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said his country, which imposed some of the world’s toughest COVID-19 measures, was delaying the start of a staggered reopening of its border until the end of February. “All of the evidence so far points to Omicron being the most transmissible COVID-19 variant yet,” he said. Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases on Tuesday recommended that “maximum contact restrictions” be imposed at once. Federal and state leaders were due to meet later in the day to decide on new measures, which were likely to include contact restrictions even for the vaccinated and those who have recovered from an infection, but a nationwide lockdown seemed to be off the cards. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday he was looking at all kinds of measures to keep Omicron under control. Finance minister Rishi Sunak announced 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) of extra support for businesses hit hardest by Omicron, which is hammering the hospitality sector and other businesses. Sweden will urge all employees to work from home if possible and impose tighter rules for social distancing. “We must now take joint responsibility and we need adapt to the new reality,” Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told a news conference. “I understand that many are tired of this – so am I – but we now have a new virus variant, which means we are in a new situation.” In neighbouring Denmark, Omicron is now the predominant variant, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said. Many countries in the West are pinning their hopes on third, booster vaccine shots to keep the new variant at bay amid reports that two shots may not be enough. The European Union’s drug regulator said early data shows a booster dose helps restore some protection against Omicron, although there is no evidence yet that tweaks to existing shots will be necessary. Omicron has hit financial markets hard in recent days, raising investor fears for the global economic recovery as the pandemic cuts travel and seizes up supply chains. But world shares gained on Tuesday, with the dollar softening as appetite for riskier assets made a cautious return. The broader Euro STOXX 600 rose 1.3%. Germany’s DAX’s added 1.27%, with London’s FTSE climbing 0.99%. In Australia, where Omicron cases have surged but hospitalisations remain relatively low, Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged state and territory leaders to avoid further lockdowns. “We’re not going back to lockdowns. We’re going forward to live with this virus with common sense and responsibility,” he said. In the United States, the Biden administration said it would open federal COVID-19 testing sites in New York this week and buy 500 million at-home rapid tests that Americans can order online for free. Omicron now accounts for 73% of all new cases in the United States, up from less than 1% at the beginning of the month. The variant was first detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong and so far has been reported in at least 89 countries. The severity of illness it causes remains unclear, but the World Health Organization warned it is spreading faster spreading than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the COVID-19 disease. More than 274 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally https://tmsnrt.rs/2FThSv7 since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. More than 5.65 million people have died.

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NHL to pause season over COVID

The coronavirus pandemic still poses a threat, and will continue to do so, but the medical field and infectious disease experts have learned plenty about the virus and its spread. Tools such as safe vaccines and masking options offer individual protection. That means sports leagues will not shut down like they did 20 months ago. But with each passing day, it seems another sport or league is once again being affected by this pandemic, with postponements and infections. For example, 51 NFL players went on the COVID-19 reserve list Monday, including Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce.

NFL: Chiefs’ Travis Kelce among 51 NFL players placed on COVID-19 list on Monday

NBA: With more than 90 players in COVID protocols, here’s what the league plans to do about it

Due to the rising number of positive COVID-19 cases throughout the league, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association agreed to start their Christmas break early.

The NHL plans to pause its season on Wednesday, two days before the originally scheduled holiday break from Dec. 24-26, the league confirmed Monday night.

Monday night’s game between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild was played as scheduled, but the other four games on the docket had been postponed. Two games remain on Tuesday’s schedule — Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET) and Tampa Bay Lightning at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET) — and both are still a go, pending any additional positive tests.

There were originally 10 games slated for Tuesday, but some games between Canadian and American teams were already postponed because all cross-border games were put on pause.

The NHL and NHLPA agreed to postpone the five games that had remained on Thursday’s schedule during consultations Monday night. Players are set to report back to team facilities on Dec. 26 and resume daily testing. The NHL schedule is set to resume on Dec. 27.

Earlier Monday, the Columbus Blue Jackets were shut down because of a rising number of cases, and a pair of Tuesday games — New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins and Arizona Coyotes at Seattle Kraken — were also called off because of COVID issues on the Devils and Kraken.

NHL: League, players will make decision soon on whether to pull out of Olympics

The Louisville men’s basketball game Wednesday at Kentucky is postponed, and the Cardinals have paused basketball activities because of “multiple positive COVID-19 tests within the program,” the school announced Monday.  Louisville is coming off an 82-72 loss at Western Kentucky in which it played without starting center Malik Williams, who was absent from the team. Though Louisville did not name Williams, a spokesman said a player was not with the team due to COVID-19 protocols.

USA Hockey announced Monday that an exhibition between the U.S. women’s hockey team and Canada has been canceled due to “concerns around COVID-19.”  The series, which Canada currently leads 4-2, was scheduled to pick back up in Canada after the new year.

Rafael Nadal said Monday he tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to Spain from an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi last weekend.

The timing of the positive test potentially complicates Nadal’s plans for the Australian Open, which begins on Jan. 17. Nadal, 35, has played very little competitive tennis since last year’s French Open because of various injuries and was attempting to ramp back up in time for the first Grand Slam event of the season.

According to multiple reports, NBA teams can sign one replacement player for each player that tests positive for the virus between now and Jan. 19. Organizations will be required to sign at least one replacement player in the event of two positive players.  Lineups across the league were decimated by roster restrictions over the weekend.

Following a weekend of NBA stars testing positive for the virus, Golden State Warriors guard Andrew Wiggins – who received the COVID-19 vaccine after expressing much hesitancy – entered the health and safety protocols.

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield didn’t clear protocol and will miss Monday night’s game against the Raiders. Nick Mullens will get the start.

But Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai was cleared and he will be available on Monday against the Vikings.

Two games will be played on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET: Washington vs. Philadelphia and Seattle vs. Los Angeles Rams.  Washington said six coaches and a coaching intern would not be available for the game against the Eagles.

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AMC sets post-reopening attendance records in US

AMC Theatres (NYSE:AMC), the largest theatrical exhibitor in the United States, in Europe & the Middle East, and in the world, today announced that based on the opening weekend strength of Marvel & Sony Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, AMC has broken several post-reopening attendance records. The movie finished the weekend as the biggest December opening of all time, and AMC set new post-reopening domestic attendance records on Thursday, then broke that record on Friday, and then broke that record again on Saturday. More than two million people watched a movie at an AMC location around the world on Saturday, which is the most tickets sold in a single day since Christmas day, 2019. With Sunday’s domestic attendance finishing at more than 1 million tickets sold, it marks the first time that AMC has sold at least one million tickets each day Thursday through Sunday since December 2019. Guests sought out PLF experiences at AMC, as this past weekend was the biggest ever weekend for PRIME at AMC, the second biggest ever for Dolby Cinema at AMC and the fourth biggest weekend for IMAX at AMC. In all, AMC recorded more than 7 million tickets sold, Thursday through Sunday, at its locations around the world, including more than five million tickets sold at its U.S. theatres. AMC’s attendance was off to a strong start on Thursday, as guests arrived in droves to qualify for their exclusive Spider-Man NFT, the first ever of its kind from a major theatrical exhibitor. Attendance for Spider-Man at AMC’s international theatres was also robust, setting a new single-day attendance record on Saturday. “Historically, December is one of the biggest months of the year for major blockbuster releases, so to see SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME set a new all-time opening weekend box office record this month is significant not just for AMC, but for the entire theatrical industry,” said Adam Aron, AMC Chairman and CEO. “We commend our friends at Sony Pictures and Marvel on their wonderfully successful movie, which millions of people have already watched at a U.S. AMC theatre in just 4 days.” For more information and to find showtimes and purchase tickets to SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, guests can visit amctheatres.com and the AMC mobile app. AMC is the largest movie exhibition company in the United States, the largest in Europe and the largest throughout the world with approximately 950 theatres and 10,500 screens across the globe. AMC has propelled innovation in the exhibition industry by: deploying its Signature power-recliner seats; delivering enhanced food and beverage choices; generating greater guest engagement through its loyalty and subscription programs, web site and mobile apps; offering premium large format experiences and playing a wide variety of content including the latest Hollywood releases and independent programming. NN: Well we now know the masses are willing to take a big chance of getting infected… Some crazy shit. The last place i want to be besides a cruise ship and a jet liner is sitting ass hole to elbow eating pop corn watching a very boyish man is red spandex. At least on the flying incubates and floating hotel rooms they have been tested and vaccinated… Its amazing what people will die for.

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Wall St falls as Omicron’s spread stokes fears of tighter curbs

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., December 3, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Dec 20 (Reuters) – Wall Street’s main indexes opened lower on Monday, dragged by concerns about the impact of tighter COVID-19 curbs on the global economy, and a potentially devastating setback to President Joe Biden’s investment bill. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) fell 143.32 points, or 0.41%, at the open to 35,222.12. The S&P 500 (.SPX) opened lower by 32.74 points, or 0.71%, at 4,587.90, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) dropped 236.68 points, or 1.56%, to 14,933.00 at the opening bell. NN: Just like in oil stocks are trading in a well worn range. We are seeing tax selling, funds locking in profits for year end and some Lockdown fears. Which is not definitive. So we stand aside and wait. A LOT of buyers are standing on the sidelines

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Most of the World’s Vaccines Likely Won’t Prevent Infection From Omicron

 

A growing body of preliminary research suggests the COVID vaccines used in most of the world offer almost no defense against becoming infected by the highly contagious omicron variant. All vaccines still seem to provide a significant degree of protection against serious illness from omicron, which is the most crucial goal. But only the Pfizer and Moderna shots, when reinforced by a booster, appear to have initial success at stopping infections, and these vaccines are unavailable in most of the world.

The other shots — including those from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and vaccines manufactured in China and Russia — do little to nothing to stop the spread of omicron, early research shows.

And because most countries have built their inoculation programs around these vaccines, the gap could have a profound impact on the course of the pandemic. A global surge of infections in a world where billions of people remain unvaccinated not only threatens the health of vulnerable individuals but also increases the opportunity for the emergence of yet more variants. The disparity in the ability of countries to weather the pandemic will almost certainly deepen. And the news about limited vaccine efficacy against omicron infection could depress demand for vaccination throughout the developing world, where many people are already hesitant or preoccupied with other health problems. Most evidence so far is based on laboratory experiments, which do not capture the full range of the body’s immune response, and not from tracking the effect on real-world populations. The results are striking, however. The Pfizer and Moderna shots use the new mRNA technology, which has consistently offered the best protection against infection with every variant. All of the other vaccines are based on older methods of triggering an immune response. The Chinese vaccines Sinopharm and Sinovac — which make up almost half of all shots delivered globally — offer almost zero protection from omicron infection. The great majority of people in China have received these shots, which are also widely used in low- and middle-income countries such as Mexico and Brazil. A preliminary effectiveness study in Britain found that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine showed no ability to stop omicron infection six months after vaccination. Ninety percent of vaccinated people in India received this shot, under the brand name Covishield; it has also been widely used across much of sub-Saharan Africa, where COVAX, the global COVID vaccine program, has distributed 67 million doses of it to 44 countries. Researchers predict that Russia’s Sputnik vaccine, which is also being used in Africa and Latin America, will show similarly dismal rates of protection against omicron. Demand for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been surging in Africa, because its single-shot delivery regimen makes it easy to deliver in low-resource settings. But it too has shown a negligible ability to block omicron infection. Antibodies are the first line of defense induced by vaccines. But the shots also stimulate the growth of T cells, and preliminary studies suggest that these T cells still recognize the omicron variant, which is important in preventing severe disease. “What you lose first is protection against asymptomatic mild infection, what you retain much better is protection against severe disease and death,” said John Moore, a virus expert at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. He called it “a silver lining” that omicron so far appears less lethal than the delta variant. But this protection will not be enough to prevent omicron from causing global disruption, said J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for International and Strategic Studies. “The sheer scale of infection will overwhelm health systems, simply because the denominator will be potentially so big,” he said. “If you have a burst of infection worldwide, a shock, what does the world look like on other side of it? Is it, ‘The war is over,’ or, ‘The war has just entered another phase’? We haven’t begun thinking about any of that.” People with breakthrough cases may experience only asymptomatic infection or mild illness, but they can pass the virus to unvaccinated people, who could fall more severely ill, and become a source of new variants. Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, said that more data was needed before drawing conclusions about vaccines’ effectiveness against omicron — and that accelerated vaccination should continue to be the focus of pandemic response. Preliminary data from South Africa suggest that with omicron, there is a much higher chance of people who already had COVID getting reinfected than there was with the original virus and previous variants. But some public health experts say they believe that countries that have already been through brutal waves of COVID, such as Brazil and India, may have a buffer against omicron, and vaccination after infection produces high antibody levels. “The combination of vaccination and exposure to the virus seems to be stronger than only having the vaccine,” said Ramanan Laxminarayan, a public health researcher in New Delhi. India, he noted, has an adult vaccination rate of only about 40% but 90% exposure to the virus in some areas. “Without a doubt omicron is going to flood through India,” he said. “But hopefully India is protected to some extent because of vaccination and exposure.” China does not have this layer of protection to back up its weak vaccines. Because of China’s aggressive efforts to stop spread of the virus within its borders, relatively few people have previous exposure. Only an estimated 7% of people in Wuhan, where the pandemic began, were infected.Much of Latin America has relied on the Chinese and Russian vaccines, and on AstraZeneca. Mario Rosemblatt, a professor of immunology at the University of Chile, said that more than 90% of Chileans had had two doses of one vaccine, but the great majority of these were Coronavac, the Sinovac shot.

High vaccination coverage combined with early reports that omicron does not cause serious illness is leading to a false sense of security in the country, he said.

“We have to get people to understand that it doesn’t work like that: If you get high transmissibility you’re going to have the health system saturated because the number of people getting ill will be higher,” he said. Brazil has recommended that all vaccinated people get a third dose, and it started using Pfizer’s vaccine for all boosters, but only 40% of the vaccinated have turned up to get the extra shot. Dr. Amilcar Tanuri, a virus expert at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said with cautious optimism that the high levels of previous COVID exposure might blunt omicron’s impact but noted that the most vulnerable Brazilians, vaccinated first, got Coronavac, and tens of millions more were given AstraZeneca. Morrison called omicron’s ability to evade the protection of vaccination “a massive setback” for low- and middle-income countries, where, far from any discussion of boosters, the focus is still on delivering first shots. “The world gets cleaved into two parts, right?” he said. “It’s those that have a quick path toward boosters versus those who have had very limited progress and suddenly they’re subject to this new lashing.” Just 13% of people in Africa have received a least one dose of a COVID vaccine. Laxminarayan said the Indian government, to which he is an occasional adviser, was considering booster shots, but the delta variant still poses a significant threat in India, and two vaccine doses offers protection against delta. That presents the government with a difficult choice between focusing on getting people who remain unvaccinated, or only partly vaccinated, to two doses, or trying to gets boosters to older people and those with high-risk medical conditions as protection against omicron. The news that the non-mRNA vaccines offer little protection against infection from omicron may further erode demand for shots in countries already struggling to build demand, Morrison said. “This challenges the whole value of vaccines,” he said. “If you’re so far behind and then you suffer this, it’s going to feed anti-vaccine sentiment and weaken confidence.” NN: Know you know why i urged you to get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. These other vaccines are worthless. Which means they got to start the circle jerk from the start. And they have run out of time,

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Dow falls 550 pts premarket on virus worries

The Dow Jones Industrial Average index dropped over 550 points in premarket trade on Monday as concerns surrounding the Omicron coronavirus variant seemingly affected market sentiment. United States President Joe Biden is set to address the nation on December 21 and outline the details of the government’s Winter Plan to “fight against COVID-19.” Furthermore, Senator Joe Manchin confirmed yesterday that he will not support Biden’s spending package in its current form. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by 552 points or 1.57%, the Nasdaq 100 was 1.71% down and the S&P 500 decreased by 1.70% at 4:04 am ET.

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Health officials say omicron variant likely to cause record-high coronavirus cases, hospitalizations in U.S.

Top government health officials on Sunday warned that the United States will probably see record numbers of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations as the omicron variant spreads rapidly and forces Americans to again grapple with the dangers of a pandemic that has upended life around the globe.“Unfortunately, I think that that is going to happen. We are going to see a significant stress in some regions of the country on the hospital system, particularly in those areas where you have a low level of vaccination,” Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious-disease specialist, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked whether the United States could see record numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.Fauci described the variant as “extraordinary” in its transmissibility, with a doubling time of two to three days. It accounts for 50 percent of coronavirus cases in parts of the country, which meant it would almost certainly take over as the dominant variant in the United States, he added. “It is going to be a tough few weeks, months, as we get deeper into the winter,” Fauci said. On CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said that cases will rise steeply over the next couple of weeks and that the country could soon see 1 million new cases a day tied to the omicron variant, dramatically exceeding the record of about 250,000 new cases per day set in January. “The big question is, are those million cases going to be sick enough to need health care and especially hospitalization?” Collins said. “We’re just holding our breath to see how severe this will be.” Fauci and Collins painted a stark but realistic picture of the winter ahead, on the heels of a week of coronavirus-related setbacks. Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths rose across much of the country last week, with officials warning of a surge just as millions of Americans — already weary after nearly two years of the pandemic — are expected to travel for Christmas and New Year’s. On Friday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that coronavirus vaccines for children younger than 5 would be pushed back further into 2022, as the companies modified their trials to include a third dose. On Sunday, New York, one of the country’s early epicenters in the pandemic, reported 22,478 cases. Health officials have continued to urge the unvaccinated to get their shots and those who have received only two doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines to get booster doses. Vaccines cannot be the only layer of protection against the omicron variant, Fauci said, but defeating the pandemic would not be possible without them. There are still safe ways for vaccinated people to get together for the holidays, including wearing a mask while traveling, testing beforehand and knowing the vaccination status of everyone present at indoor celebrations, Fauci said on “Face the Nation.” “If you do these things, I do believe that you can feel quite comfortable with a family setting,” he said. “Nothing is 100 percent risk-free, but I think if you do the things that I just mentioned, you’d actually mitigate that risk enough to feel comfortable about being able to enjoy the holiday.” Collins stopped short of urging people to cancel holiday plans but said travel will be risky even for vaccinated people. “This virus is going to be all around us,” he said. “I’m not going to say you shouldn’t travel, but you should do so very carefully. … People are going, ‘I’m so sick of hearing this,’ and I am, too. But the virus is not sick of us, and it is still out there looking for us, and we’ve got to double down on these things if we’re going to get through the next few months.” Doctors, nurses and others are warning that the nation’s health system continues to be strained by an unending stream of coronavirus cases. Confirmed U.S. coronavirus infections have surpassed more than 128,000 per day and confirmed virus deaths are near 1,300 per day, according to The Washington Post’s rolling seven-day average. “For people trained to save lives, this moment is frustrating, exhausting and heartbreaking,” the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association said in a joint statement on Friday, urging more Americans to get booster shots. Public health experts are bracing for a winter surge of cases driven by the omicron variant, which can evade some protection conferred by vaccinations and prior infections, as well as cases linked to the delta variant. Officials caution that they are still relying on preliminary data about the omicron variant’s severity compared with earlier forms of the virus. NN: I can give your masks, Homes test kits even Vitamins to boost your immune system. You by now should have had you third shot. And soon you will need your 4th jab. But their is one thing that is the most effective protection that only you can do. That works best of all. And that is Hunker down and self isolate.