9,000 Pennsylvanians died in the omicron surge: ‘One of the most deadly waves we’ve seen’

Extreme Caution: Proof of vaccination &nbsp;required for most venues; masks required indoors.
Caution: Vaccine mandate (or negative test within 24 hours) for most venues; mask mandate.
Mask Precautions: No vaccine mandate, mask mandate only.
All Clear: No vaccine or mask requirement.

The variant was less likely to cause severe illness and death than previous COVID-19 strains, but "it is a fallacy for folks to think that omicron was not deadly," one health-system official said.

An empty casket sits in a room at Heller-Hoenstine Funeral Home in Lewistown, Pa., in December 2020.Read moreTIM TAI / Staff Photographer

by Erin McCarthy, Justine McDaniel, and John Duchneskie

Published Feb. 17, 2022, 5:14 a.m. ET