One communication problem here is that "both sides of the Covid debate" (for lack of a better phrase) may interpret "Omicron Variant as Deadly as Previous Waves" to be favorable to their perspective.

People who are scared of Covid will see that and say "You see, it's as bad as the thing that already killed a million Americans".

People who are not scared of Covid will see that and say "Omicron wasn't a big deal. You see, it's been a big nothingburger all along".