Covid US: Confirmed Omicron cases rise 32% as experts including CDC warns they’re tip of iceberg
Omicron cases in the U.S. continue to increase – up 32 percent day-over-day on Thursday – and experts are warning the variant will only spread over time. Some even say that people who have not yet received their Covid booster shots might have to return to early-pandemic life to keep themselves safe.
The Delta variant is still the dominant Covid strain in the U.S., accounting for around 97 percent of sequenced cases. Omicron is quickly making up ground, though, with the newly discovered variant jumping seven-fold from making up 0.4 percent of cases to 2.9 percent of case.
There have been 319 confirmed and reported cases of the variant so far, up from 241 yesterday. The flu, which largely vanished last year, is making its comeback as well.
Early data also shows that people who are only fully vaccinated, but have not yet received their booster, are still extremely vulnerable to the virus.
Booster shots have been deemed effective against the variant, though, with both Moderna and Pfizer revealing data in recent days showing their vaccines will cause massive increases in antibody levels.
Only around 16 percent of Americans have received the additional vaccine dose so far though – as they were not widely available until late November – meaning that more than 80 percent of Americans are at risk from Omicron.
Dr Chris Thompson is an infectious disease expert at Loyola University of Maryland. He told DailyMail.com on Thursday that people who have not received their booster dose yet may want to bring back some early pandemic habits like social distancing, masking, frequent hand washing and more.
‘The data that I’ve seen says that you’re about 33 percent protected after a two dose regimen of either of the mRNA vaccines [the Pfizer or Moderna shots] and we don’t have good data from Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine yet. Then if you get your booster you look like you get back up into the 75 percent protection range and for preventing disease’
Whether Delta or Omicron, U.S. is experiencing yet another surge of Covid cases during the holiday season. The nation is recording 121,188 new cases every day – a 40 percent increase over the past two weeks. Deaths are making a sharp rise as well, up 34 percent to 1,302 per week.
The number of Americans hospitalized with the virus increased over the past 14 days as well, up 21 percent to 68,079.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects that the situation will only worsen as well. The agency released forecasts on Wednesday night showing that weekly Covid cases will increase by 55 percent to 1.3 million per week – or 185,714 per day – by Christmas.
It also predicted deaths with jump by 73 percent to up to 15,600 per day by early January – or 2,228 deaths per day.
Dr Thompson says that the Omicron variant will likely take over the U.S.’s dominant strain within the coming months, but how soon will depend on the behavior of Americans.
It’s hard to predict because so much depends on our behaviors,’ he said.
‘Travel and holidays and everything else [will affect Omicron spread], but since a fair number of people have received their booster and a lot of people are being more cautious, I’m hopeful that we can delay [Omicron overtaking Delta] for a while.’
He also said that it is likely that Omicron and Delta both continue to cause outbreaks across the U.S., just in different areas. In parts of the country where vaccination remains low, the Delta variant will continue its rampant spread.
In areas where people are protected from Delta by the vaccines, the Omicron variant will manage to take hold.
Some areas of the country are already reporting sharp increases in cases. Jackson Health System, in Miami, Florida, reports that its Covid test positivity rate has reached seven percent – after only one percent of cases were coming back positive in November.
Lingering around the corner may be an outbreak of the flu as well. While influenza is a relatively minor virus compared to Covid, danger from the virus grows as Covid does.
‘[The flu] tends to peak right around Christmas time,’ he said.
‘The concern is that our hospitals are so overwhelmed with Covid patients right now that we don’t have room for influenza cases. And normally we have about 30 to 40,000 deaths. per year from influenza. And a lot of those deaths could be prevented by going to the hospital.’
Last year, the flu was nearly non-existent as strict masking and social distancing measures will still in place around the country.
As people return to a semblance of normal life this winter, the flu has a chance to return from its dormancy and affect the lives of American’s once again.
All of this comes as the holiday season is in full swing, though. Millions of Americans plan to travel for large Christmas gatherings next week. With many festivities canceled last year by the pandemic, Americans will be more willing to take health risks to gather with family and friends this time around.
Large gatherings, and thousands of people interacting with each other at travel hubs like airports and train stations, create the perfect conditions for the both viruses to spread, though.
‘I think everyone needs to do their own risk assessment and look at the risk of severe infection, the risk of transmitting the infection, and the risk of severe disease to a risk of exposure,’ Thompson said about holiday travel in the time of Omicron.
Dr William Schaffer, an infectious-disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, told DailyMail.com that Americans who plan to attend large gatherings should make sure to get boosted, and even take a Covid test in the days before and after the event to control potential spread of the virus.
The U.S. is not the only country dealing with rampant Covid spread this time of the year, though, and the situation in many European countries could serve as a warning stateside.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk