California is first to unveil plan to live with virus; 'stealth omicron' could be more dangerous than initial version: COVID-19 updates

As other states continue to drop mask mandates, California is taking bolder steps in the fight against COVID-19, acknowledging the coronavirus may not go away but laying out a plan to manage and live with it.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced the first shift by a state to an “endemic” approach to the pandemic that emphasizes prevention and quick reactions to outbreaks over mandates, a milestone nearly two years in the making that harkens to a return to a more normal existence.

"We have all come to understand what was not understood at the beginning of this crisis, that there’s no ending, that there’s not a moment where we declare victory,’’ Newsom said.

Instead of trying to extinguish the virus, Newsom said the state would transition away from crisis mentality and focus on preparing for the inevitable twists COVID-19 may present in the future.

His administration has devised an easy-to-remember acronym for the new strategy: SMARTER, which stands for Shots, Masks, Awareness, Readiness, Testing, Education and Rx, the last of which refers to prescription medications for COVID-19.

California ended indoor mask requirements for vaccinated people Wednesday and will announce Feb. 28 how long the mandate for schools will remain in place.

The approach moving forward will emphasize increased vaccination and testing, fighting misinformation, stockpiling medical supplies and flooding areas of virus surge with temporary medical workers. The plan also calls for boosting the state’s surveillance, including increased monitoring of virus remnants in wastewater to watch for the first signs of a surge.

California's new direction is in line with recent comments by presidential adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, who told Reuters in an interview that as the omicron wave recedes the U.S. must balance the need to protect the population with growing pandemic fatigue and begin moving toward normalcy. Weekly new infections are at their lowest point in two months.

"The world and the United States, and particularly certain parts of the United States, are just up to here with COVID, they just really need to get their life back," Fauci said. "You don't want to be reckless and throw everything aside, but you've got to start inching toward that."

Also in the news:

►Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said listening to student input should be one of the key elements of using the pandemic as a "reset button'' to consider the best approaches to teaching.

►Concerns that an anime convention in New York City last November may become a superspreader proved unfounded, according to the CDC, which said Thursday that masking, vaccination and good ventilation limited the number of infections to 119 among the estimated 53,000 who attended the three-day event.

►Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the state would drop its mask mandates for all, including schools, by March 21.

►Adidas dropped its mandatory vaccination requirement for U.S. employees, citing the Supreme Court’s decision to block the proposed federal requirement. "Though no longer required, we strongly encourage all employees to be vaccinated," the company said in a statement to USA TODAY.

►The U.S. on Wednesday reached 100,000 reported COVID-19 deaths for 2022, John Hopkins University data shows. The 100,000th death of 2020 was reported on May 23 as the first wave was ending. The 100,000th death of 2021 was reported Feb. 2.

📈Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 78 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 930,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 419 million cases and over 5.8 million deaths. More than 214 million Americans – 64.5% – are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

📘 What we're reading: Every week, the CDC updates its list of countries that should be avoided due to COVID-19 risk. After nearly two years of living in the pandemic, travelers are ignoring the agency's guidance.

Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more? Sign up for USA TODAY's free Coronavirus Watch newsletter to receive updates directly to your inbox and join our Facebook group.

'Stealth omicron' potentially more harmful than initial version, study says

A subvariant of omicron that the CDC says is 1.5 times more contagious than its better-known cousin has quietly been making its way to dozens of countries and U.S. states, living up to its nickname of "stealth omicron.''

A new study from Japan says it's worthy of more attention and even its own Greek alphabet letter.

The research, found the BA.2 lineage of the original omicron (BA.1) is not only more infectious but also more pathogenic – capable of producing disease – and more resistant to immunity derived from previous infection.

"Our multiscale investigations suggest that the risk of BA.2 for global health is potentially higher than that of BA.1,'' researchers said.

It should be pointed out the scientists relied on data from lab experiments with hamsters, which might not directly translate to humans. And experts believe the current vaccines, when combined with boosters, offer strong protection against severe disease from both versions of omicron, which has proved to be more transmissible but less virulent than its predecessor delta.

The CDC says omicron BA.2 makes up just 3.9% of the coronavirus cases sequenced in the U.S., compared to 96.1% for BA.1. But the "stealth omicron'' has become dominant in countries like South Africa – where the variant was first identified – India, the Philippines, Austria, Denmark and Singapore.

At the very least, researchers say BA.2 should stand on its own and be recognized as a variant of concern.