&lt;p&gt;This week, Dr. Osterholm and host Chris Dall discuss Omicron&amp;#039;s impact in the United States and elsewhere, and what our “new normal” of life with COVID should be. They also talk about how the Omicron variant is affecting kids, make sense of what the current hospitalization numbers really mean, and answer two COVID queries on testing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Email us your questions: &lt;a href="mailto:OsterholmUpdate@umn.edu"&gt;OsterholmUpdate@umn.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Transcript: &lt;a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/ep-86-transcript"&gt;https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/ep-86-transcript&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Episode 87: Hope Is Not a Strategy

A weekly report on the COVID-19 pandemic from infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH. Dr. Osterholm is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota and has spent a career investigating outbreaks. Since 2005, he has emphasized supply chain and other vulnerabilities and a critical need for pandemic preparedness. In this podcast, Dr. Osterholm dissects the latest COVID-19 news, data, and guidance.
CIDRAP’s Chris Dall, MA, is the cohost of the Osterholm Update and a reporter for CIDRAP News. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu