This week America reached another grim milestone in the pandemic: 800,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, about 400,000 of them during the past year, when vaccines have been available.And though the highest daily death tolls occurred almost 1 year ago, in January 2021, death counts have risen in recent weeks to an average of 1,100 fatalities per day, nearly triple the daily averages seen in June and July, before the Delta (B1617.2) variant became the dominant strain.Omicron gaining footholdAccording to Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director, Delta is still the dominant strain in the United States, but the new Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant is quickly gaining a foothold in parts of the country.T