Covid cases rise in Europe as omicron subvariant spreads. Will the U.S. be next? Nearly half of European countries have recorded increases in new Covid cases over the last week. The U.S. could follow suit, but cases are still declining for now. NBC News

Nearly half of all European countries have recorded increases in new Covid-19 cases in the past week, according to an NBC News analysis of data from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Reuters Reuters

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Pfizer Covid vaccine is less effective in kids 5 to 11, study finds New data suggest the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine works substantially less well at preventing infection and hospitalizations in kids 5 to 11. Helen Branswell STAT

Newly emerging data suggest the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine works substantially less well at preventing infection and hospitalizations in children aged 5 to 11 than it does in those aged 12 to 17 — a finding that is raising questions about whether the companies chose the wrong dose for the younger children.

Covid infections plummet 90% from U.S. pandemic high, states lift mask mandates

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Hospitalizations have also fallen sharply. There are about 66,000 patients in U.S. hospitals with Covid as of Monday, according to a seven-day average of data from the Department of Health and Human Services, down from the Jan. 20 peak of 159,000 patients.

The Covid death toll, which typically lags a rise in cases by a number of weeks, is elevated but showing signs of easing. Average daily deaths reached the highest level in about a year on Feb. 1 at nearly 2,600 per day and have since fallen below 2,000. ...

ALSO SEE: WHO: New COVID cases fall for the 3rd week, deaths also drop