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Hi, and welcome to COVID quickly, a scientific American podcast series. This is your fast track update

on the COVID pandemic. We bring you up to speed on the science behind the most urgent questions

about the virus and the disease. We demystify the research and help you understand what it really

means. I'm Josh Fishman, scientific American senior health editor, Tanya Lewis, usually

here with me, as the day off. Today, the giant Omicron Wave looks like it may have peaked in the US. We

will look at its unusual effects on two groups, children and people with long haul COVID. And we'll

talk about a dramatic worldwide vaccine milestone. Omicron cases look like they are starting to drop

down in many US states, but they're coming down from staggering heights. By mid-February, about 40%

of the US population will be infected by the variant. That's an estimate from Trevor Bedford

of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, who models infection rates. And that's

changed one important feature of the pandemic. Kids getting sick. With earlier variants, very few

children got seriously ill. But recently, an average of about 800 children have been admitted to

the hospital with COVID every day. For kids under five, the hospitalization rates jump to two to

four times that of previous ways. What's going on? Has the virus mutated to become worse for kids?

...