after teachers said schools were unsafe. the fact that they re back in person with their friends, with their teachers just such a game changer. reporter: in los angeles, every student needs to prove they re covid negative, but 78,000 students and staff tested positive after the winter break, and as the newr ten, 30% of students were absent. we re not going to eradicate this, but we ultimately will control it. reporter: today, dr. anthony fauci gave a blunt assessment of the new normal. virtually everybody is going to wind up getting exposed and likely get infected. reporter: a new study shows that compared to delta, the risk of death from omicron is 91% lower and the risk of i.c.u. admission is 74% less. but hospitals across the country are still overwhelmed. when it comes to people who are getting very sick in the hospital, who are they? it s mostly patients who have not been vaccinated. reporter: and nurse zenei triiunfo-cortez says it s