When will the fast-moving omicron surge hit its peak? It's the question on most of our minds as we begin 2022 with record COVID cases.
South Africa peaked in four weeks, and virus forecasters believe the US will top out sometime in mid- to late January. But as we'll explain in Thursday's Global Security Briefing, it depends on where you live.
There's lots of news in this week's Benchmarker. If you find it useful, please forward it to co-workers and colleagues! Send any feedback, job posts or links to benchmarker@factal.com. We read every email.
Happy New Year,
Cory Bergman and Tyler Adams
Top of mind
A few industry news stories from the week
Are London cases reaching a plateau?
London is nearing the four-week point, and a top UK scientist is "cautiously optimistic" that cases may be hitting the peak. But kids are back in school, and testing supplies are running out in some places. Meanwhile, cases in other UK regions continue to rise. (The Guardian)
US hospitalizations trending toward all-time high
Even with milder cases on average, hospitalizations are soaring due to the sheer number of infections, especially among the unvaccinated. What's different this time around? This Twitter thread by NYC ER Dr. Craig Spencer is a great explanation of what emergency rooms are seeing. (CNN)
The plane Is boarding, Where are your test results?
International travelers in search of COVID tests are scrambling to find sites that can get them results before their flights take off — and sometimes failing. (NYT)
Financial companies push return to work plans
Wall Street has been eager to get back to the office, but several banks have reverted to remote work. Goldman Sachs is hoping for a Jan. 18 return. (CNN)
Federal law enforcement swamped in chatter ahead of Jan. 6
“We’re barely keeping our head above water," says the new head of the US Capitol Police on investigating menacing communications. So far, however, no credible threats have been found. (WSJ)
China harvests masses of data on Western targets, documents show
Hundreds of projects launched since 2020 show that Chinese police, state media and the military are gathering data from sites including Twitter and Facebook to track perceived threats. (Washington Post)
"We are probably in one of the most volatile, complex and dynamic threat environments that I have experienced in my career."
Global Security Briefing January 6, noon ET
Join Factal and Emergent Risk International for our every-other-week online briefing - we take questions live!
5 Experts Tackle our 5 Biggest Risks January 12, 2pm ET
This round-robin of speakers at the upcoming DRJ Spring conference will cover pandemic preparedness, workplace violence, disaster recovery, cybersecurity, and supply chain management in under one hour.
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