Schools return amid Omicron havoc, but hopes flicker

Students sit in a classroom as they resume classes at the I.T.C Di Vittorio - I.T.I. Lattanzio secondary school as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases surge across the country and with new rules in place as part of the government's efforts to maintain in-person learning, in Rome, Italy, January 10, 2022. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

MADRID/KAYUNGA, Uganda (Reuters) -Children of the COVID era flocked back to school in various nations on Monday as the Omicron strain spread exponentially and tennis superstar Novak Djokovic's battle to play laid bare global passions over vaccines.

Though Omicron is less dangerous than past waves, it has pushed cases worldwide beyond 305 million in the two-year pandemic that refuses to go away. Nearly 6 million people have died.