Omicron surge breaks national records

The latest surge of COVID-19 continues with daily new cases in the U.S. far surpassing records set in pervious surges as the hospitalization rate among young children increases.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in an update Friday that the U.S. saw 705,264 new cases Jan. 5, more than doubling the January 2021 peak.

The entire U.S., along with its territories, is experiencing high levels of community transmission, driven by the omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, which data suggests is far more easily spread than the delta variant, itself far more easily spread...