People receive free at-home Covid-19 test kits at a distribution site on January 2, 2022 in Stamford, Connecticut.
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In pictures: America facing new spike in Covid-19 cases

Updated 4:25 AM ET, Mon January 3, 2022

People receive free at-home Covid-19 test kits at a distribution site on January 2, 2022 in Stamford, Connecticut.
John Moore/Getty Images

The United States, like many other countries around the world, has been seeing a large increase in Covid-19 cases over the last month.

And experts are predicting that the Omicron variant — the most contagious strain of coronavirus yet — is going to make the start of 2022 very difficult. They are urging people to get vaccinated or boosted to protect themselves and others before they face greater chances of infection.

At-home Covid-19 tests, taken by Chicago Public Schools students, are piled up at a FedEx drop-off box in the neighborhood of West Elsdon on Tuesday, December 28. The school system extended the return deadline to December 30 and expanded drop-off sites.
E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Getty Images
A woman shows proof of vaccination against Covid-19 to enter Times Square for the New Year's Eve ball drop in New York on Friday, December 31.
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A health care worker prepares respirators for Covid-19 patients at the IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Indiana, on December 28.
Jordan Kartholl/The Star Press/USA Today Network
Paramedic Dan Harris, center, walks National Guard members through the ins and outs of the ambulances that they will be driving in Brockton, Massachusetts, on December 28. Guard members received clinical support and Covid-19 training from Brewster Ambulance.
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A digital billboard encourages travelers to wash their hands at Atlanta's international airport on Monday, December 27.
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Medical workers in New York prepare Covid-19 tests at a testing site inside the Times Square subway station on December 27.
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People scramble to get free Covid-19 test kits that were distributed by the city in Brooklyn, New York, on Friday, December 24. With coronavirus cases surging during the holidays, frustrated Americans have been struggling to get tested.
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Maia Goodell receives a Covid-19 test in Times Square on Thursday, December 23.
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Travelers wait in a security checkpoint line at Orlando International Airport on December 23.
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A health-care worker hands out a test kit at a testing site in Riverside, California, on December 21.
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