322 staff absences, including bus drivers, have forced all Danbury schools to close their doors for the remainder of this week. CT Post has reported that COVID-19 is the culprit as it spreads like wildfire throughout the city. School Superintendent Kevin Walston issued this statement.

We will not be able to run our schools safely on Thursday, January 6, and Friday, January 7. Danbury Schools will be closed for these two days. We plan to open the following week anticipating improved staffing.”

The reason for the two-day closing is simple; it's the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. 45,760 new tests were administered, and 10,344 of those cases came back positive for COVID-19, a positivity rate of 22.6 percent.

Remember the good old days when Danbury's positivity rate was around 4 percent? The villain is the Omicron variant which is more contagious than the Delta variant.

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I can't remember how many times I've been tested since this nightmare began back in 2020. Luckily I have always tested negative but, I have been fully vaccinated. My wife tested positive but had no symptoms, and I'm pretty sure it was because she was fully vaccinated.

You might have already read the data from the CDC that states, "The Omicron variant likely will spread more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and how easily Omicron spreads compared to Delta remains unknown."

The CDC reports that breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people are likely to occur. With other variants, like Delta, vaccines have remained effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. The recent emergence of Omicron further emphasizes the importance of vaccination and boosters.

The CDC has found that the unvaccinated are 14 times more likely to die from COVID complications than the fully vaccinated. For all stats regarding vaccinated vs. unvaccinated, click bbc.com.

READ MORE: Inspiring Stories From the Coronavirus Pandemic

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