For the second year in a row, coronavirus was the dominant news story of the year -- from the spread of the disease, mutations, masks and vaccines to hospitalizations, deaths, mandates, anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers -- it garnered headlines throughout 2021.
As of early December, there have been more than 49.2 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and more than 789,000 confirmed deaths.
The release of vaccines in spring gave us hope for a cure, and for a time, things were getting better -- until the Delta variant took hold and we started seeing breakthrough cases with those who had been vaccinated still getting the virus, though in most cases the symptoms weren't as serious and didn't require hospitalization or cause death.
There was also a continued resistance to get vaccinated from some folks, despite evidence that it could help protect those who got the shot from serious illness. Booster shots introduced in fall provided additional production for those who got their second shot more than six months ago.
As we moved into the holidays, Omicron, a new variant was discovered and was starting to spread. While it was said to be highly contagious, officials were still trying to determine the dangers of the new strain. (USA Today)