CWCI: Omicron Drives 172% Increase in December COVID Claims

The omicron variant drove a one-month 172% increase in COVID-19 claims in December that eclipsed the summer peak during the delta surge in August, according to the latest analysis by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute. “After peaking in August, then declining steadily throughout the fall, the monthly count of COVID-19 California workers’ compensation claims skyrocketed from 3,047 in November to 8,292 claims in December — the second-highest level of the year — as the highly contagious omicron variant began to take a toll, with CWCI projecting that the ...