In health news, wastewater testing shows the U.S. is in its greatest COVID-19 surge since Omicron, making it the second-largest surge of the pandemic. Around 1,500 people in the U.S. are still dying from COVID every week. Public health experts say two of the main reasons are waning immunity and not enough people accessing treatments and vaccinations. Rates of infection are up globally, as well. The WHO reports 10,000 COVID deaths were recorded in December, while hospitalizations increased in dozens of countries. In Spain, authorities have reissued face mask mandates in health facilities. Mónica García: “It’s a basic and minimum measure, which we learned from the pandemic. And that is, when we have an upward trend, the first thing we need to do is protect the most vulnerable people, people who have some sort of infection that needs to be contained. And the method that is most scientifically endorsed is the mask.”