After the discovery of the first case of the Omicron variant in South Africa, it was expected by the medical scholars in the country that it would surely break all the rules. It has now spread to almost 100 countries, including the United States where it has already started to dominate in just less than a month.
Omicron Variant Will Lead To Only 20 Percent Hospital Admissions
As COVID cases increase in the United States, the Biden Administration has recommended a booster shot to increase protection against the virus and for the healthcare workers, it is mandatory to get the booster shots.
As per the data available with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the sudden jump from 15 percent cases from 12th December to more than 70 percent cases till 22nd December, the omicron has started to show its true colors and it will create a dangerous situation in the country.
Although it has been expected by scientists and medical researchers in the United States that the new variant is capable enough to infect more than 100 million citizens in a very short time frame. But when compared to the Delta strain, an individual with Omicron infection is 70% less likely to be hospitalized, according to the studies.
The State of New York has been badly hit by this new subtype of Coronavirus and in less than a week, the number of daily coronavirus cases in New York nearly tripled, breaking the state’s previous high. Also, the positivity rate has doubled in NYC. Between December 9 and December 22, the Omicron variant was found in the majority of people in New York creating a sense of panic amongst the citizens.
The COVID 19 cases have increased to 238,278 per day. The US CDC has claimed that the Omicron variant now accounts for more than 73% of all new infections in the United States but its severity is less than the delta variant.
The hospitalization rate is increasing slowly rather than rapidly and many medical experts are in fear that if hospital admissions will increase there will be a disturbance in the medical system due to a shortage of medical staff in some parts of the country. The number of deaths has remained constant; approximately 60 deaths are reported from New York on a daily basis as per CDC.
There are biological differences between the Omicron and Delta variants, which could explain why the severity is lower but the transmission rate is very high in the omicron variant because it carries more mutations than the latter one.
The Biden Administration has been continuously recommending booster shots for proper prevention and protection against the Covid 19 variant. Also, the Government has been working to increase the testing in the States so that people can easily travel and celebrate the festive season with their loved ones. It will also help in the early detection of the infection. Only a few PCR tests were able to determine the infection’s variant.
