Y'all come out to the US and stay at my house for freedom! jk but seriously here our doom mongers of Fauci and Walensky are shrugging over it, it is not a political win here any longer, and we do not have an overburdened health service to worry about but a lot of people who are dying of other thins when hospitals were closed most of last year and many closed up shop because no money to run. Booster uptake is low if you are not at risk here as it should be and vaccinating kids isn't as popular as they hoped.
The cases will rise, some hospitalizations will especially due to testing anything that moves, but they are acting like we are in the same place as last year. Not a chance. Hopefully people disobey... My family in England says nobody cares there anymore and they are mostly medical professionals! (Still sad I cannot see them but I've rebooked for March... I will have a tantrum if I can't go!)
Sorry for double posting but it is same with flu or colds. The common cold, a rhinovirus, can have up to a 10% mortality rate in elderly. Covid is about the same - 8% I believe - in those age groups. We knew from Diamond Princess this affects primarily the elderly as do most respiratory viruses. We aren't immortal.