People need to change how they think about Covid-19 and children, expert says. 'This is not a virus to fool around with'

As the Omicron variant spreads nationwide, leaving many people ill and forced to quarantine, educators and families have been faced with a dilemma -- weighing the risk of allowing children to resume in-person classes.

The unprecedented surge has caused widespread staffing shortages and left more than 145,000 Americans hospitalized with Covid-19 as of Tuesday, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services, which is more than at any point since the beginning of the pandemic.

Amid the disruption, which has impacted the return of classes following the holiday break, those who work in education services have hotly debated whether in-person learning is currently feasible.