The latest COVID-19 variant, Omicron, is raising new fears—among policymakers, parents, educators, business owners and, well, just about everyone. And for good reason, as initial reports suggest that it is significantly more transmissible than prior variants. But for those of us engaged in clinical care and public health—we’re an emergency physician and trauma surgeon—there’s a different fear: with almost every part of our system already overtaxed, we are on the verge of a collapse that will leave us unable to provide even a basic standard of care.