The alarming rate of Omicron variant is pushing the world into another worrisome winter the COVID-19 pandemic, with many countries resorting to lockdowns and health officials warning of a tough test for healthcare systems.
While scientists are still reseraching to determine the lethality of the Omicron variant, experts warn the variant, first reported in South Africa, event if not as the Delta that severely tested the world in the summer, it is very contagious and could spiral up infections very quickly.
The World Health Organization has said the Omicron variant appears to be spreading faster than previous strains of the coronavirus and is likely circulating in most countries across the globe.
In the United States, top experts warned of a hard winter.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top medical adviser to President Joe Biden and director of infectious diseases body, told CNN the Omicron variant is “going to take over.”
On the pandemic challenges, he said the U.S. cannot just walk away and “with Omicron, that we’re dealing with, it is going to be a tough few weeks to months as we get deeper into the winter.”
The WHO says Omicron cases are doubling in less than three days
Currently, the United States is averaging 126,967 new cases per day, the Johns Hopkins University research data shows. Only at the start of last month, the United States averaged around 70,000 new cases per day.
The US Department of Health and Human Services statistics say there are more than 69,000 people hospitalized with Covid-19 across the United States. Additionally, more than 20% of all intensive care unit beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.
President Biden stepped up the vaccination campaign to vaccinate people in the United States and now more than 60 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
According to Centers for Prevention and Dissease Control, the United States recently surpassed 50 million COVID-19 cases and 800,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The Omicron fears rise as the US marks the first anniversary of the first COVID-19 vaccination.
Meanwhile, Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins told National Public Radio that “if Americans don’t take COVID-19 seriously, the country could see 1 million daily infections.”
In Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 77 countries have reported cases of the Omicron and the strain is “probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet.”
“Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant,” Tedros said. “Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril.”
“Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems. I need to be very clear: vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis. Countries can – and must – prevent the spread of Omicron with measures that work today.”
Earlier this week, the United Kingdom’s top health adviser warned that Omicron infections could reach one million per day there, by the end of this month.. hte National Health Service would face significant pressure if only a fraction of those newly infected need to be hospitalized – a troubling scenario in a country where some 70 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated.
The Netherlands has closed many public places like restaurants and museums until the middle of January, meaning the Dutch would still be without their customary New Year celebrations.
The fast-spreading Omnicorn has upstet travel plans and cast a gloom over winter holiday in much of the Western countries including the United States and Europe as public gathering restrictions, closures and mandatory masks-wearing are back as precautionary measures.
[…] Omicron’s unprecedented spread rate: US winter worries soar […]