The Biden administration is preparing for an explosion of Omicron cases that they believe will result in a flood of sick Americans going...
The Biden administration is preparing for an explosion of Omicron cases that they believe will result in a flood of sick Americans going into the already overburdened hospital system.
'Everything points to a large wave. A large wave is coming,' a senior administration official in President Joe Biden's White House told Axios.
The official, however, expressed hope the cases wouldn't be as severe as previous COVID variants including Delta as the White House continues to push booster shots as the best protection.
'It will be fast. It won't be as severe, but regrettably, there will be plenty of hospitalizations,' the person said.
Omicron is now in 33 U.S. states including Alaska and the District of Columbia, as the mutant strain that has dominated the world in recent weeks continues its spread across America.
California brought back its mask mandate for all indoor places across the state on Monday, joining New York who did the same last week. In Philadelphia, residents must now show proof of vaccination to enter bars and restaurants, also like New York City.
The U.S. is currently averaging around 120,000 cases per day, a massive 49 percent increase over the past two weeks. Hospitalizations are on the rise as well, with an average as 66,000 Americans receiving treatment every day, a 22 percent increase over the past two weeks.
Meanwhile, the total number of known coronavirus cases in the United States surpassed 50 million on Monday and the death toll is rapidly approaching more than 800,000.
And only 27 percent of those vaccinated have also received their booster shot, according to the CDC, which medical experts say can help ward off the new variant.
However, there have been increasing reasons for optimism in the face of the new strain, with the first real-world study in South Africa confirming Omicron is causing a third fewer hospitalizations than Delta.
The study also found two doses of Pfizer's vaccine provides 70 per cent protection against hospital admission or death from Omicron, compared to 93 per cent for Delta.
Pfizer also announced Tuesday morning that its new oral COVID-19 treatment could reduce hospitalizations and deaths caused by the Omicron variant by 90 percent.
The total number of known coronavirus cases in the United States surpassed 50 million on Monday and the death toll is rapidly approaching more than 800,000. And only 27 percent of those vaccinated have also received their booster shot, according to the CDC
Omicron is now in 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, including far off Alaska, as the mutant strain that has dominated the world in recent weeks continues its rampant spread across America
Omicron has already become the dominant strain in London after South Africa first raised the alarm on November 24 and has prompted further restrictions and lockdowns in other parts of Europe.
All of this is even before the Omicron variant has truly landed in the U.S., as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still reports that 97 percent of sequenced cases are of the Delta variant, though Omicron has quickly grown from an insignificant variant in sequencing to making up three percent of cases.
In Washington state, one of the first places Omicron was detected in the US, the variant is spreading rapidly.
Researchers at the University of Washington found that 13 percent of 217 positive COVID specimens collected on Wednesday had the omicron mutation. That was up from about 7 percent of samples they had tested from the day before, and 3 percent from the day before that.
Omicron was first detected in the state two weeks ago.
As the holiday season approaches - where more people travel and gather in large groups - some states are reimposing face masks requirements and gearing up for a spike in cases, particularly as the highly-transmissible omicron variant gains steam.
Dr Anthony Fauci has said preliminary data suggests the omicron strain is less deadly than delta, but also cautioned that it is too early to say for sure.
And the Delta variant continues to spread, especially in the Midwest, Southwest and New England regions of the United States.
California and New York are among the states reinstating mask mandates.
In California, where cases have spiked 47% since Thanksgiving, the statewide mandate will take effect Wednesday and last at least until Jan. 15.
'We know people are tired and hungry for normalcy,' California health agency secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly told reporters during a press briefing. 'Frankly, I am too. 'That said, this is a critical time where we have a tool that we know has worked and can work.'
In New York, with more than 10,500 new cases per day, the mandate took effect Monday and applies to all public spaces that have not implemented a vaccine requirement.
On Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK had seen its first Omicron death and cases are also on the rise there.
'What we now know about Omicron is that ... it's spreading at a phenomenal rate, something that we've never seen before. It's doubling every two to three days in infections,' UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid told Britain's Sky News Monday. 'That means we're facing a tidal wave of infection. We're once again in a race between the vaccine and the virus.'
Early data on the Omicron variant shows that the strain can bypass a majority of the protection provided by the original Covid vaccine regimen.
If correct, it means that much of America is still at severe risk from the new strain, and the low booster rates leave much of the nation vulnerable to another large virus surge.
Only 27% of those vaccinated have also eceived their booster shot - above Boston Mayor Michelle Wu gets her booster shot last week
However, a highly anticipated study of Pfizer's Covid pill confirmed that it helps stave off severe disease, the company announced on Tuesday, adding the pill worked against the omicron strain.
'We are confident that, if authorized or approved, this potential treatment could be a critical tool to help quell the pandemic,' Albert Bourla, Pfizer's chief executive, said in a statement.
Last month, Pfizer asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize the pill, known as Paxlovid. That authorization is still pending.
Currently, the US is averaging nearly 1,300 COVID deaths every day, a 32% increase within the last two weeks.
Hospitalizations related to COVID are growing as well, with 65,000 people receiving treatment for more severe cases every day - a 23% increase of the last 14 days.
According to official CDC data, 72% of Americans have received at lease one dose of a COVID vaccine, while 60% are fully vaccinated.
It was exactly one year ago today, on Dec. 14, 2020, a nurse in Queens became the first American to receive the COVID vaccine outside of medical trials.
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