U.S. sees biggest rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations since December ( www.cbsnews.com )

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. rose more than 10% last week, marking the biggest increase since December. While still lower than a year ago, over 7,000 new admissions were reported. The rise comes as descendants of the Omicron variant are competing nationwide, with no single variant yet dominating. Updated COVID vaccines targeting these strains are expected to be available by late September. However, current vaccine supplies will still be distributed until then for exceptional situations. The new boosters are hoped to provide more robust protection against currently circulating variants.