Scientific communities are of the opinion that Omicron infections may have reached their zenith in the US and Britain. It has been further noticed that the cases are also dropping dramatically. This seems to be good news for both nations. The reason is known to all, to begin with.
Omicron Numbers May Soon Drop In Britain And The US
Omicron has been very contagious. It has infected a large chunk of the population within a month after it was first detected in November in South Africa. One of the professors of health metric sciences has made this statement that infections could come down faster. However, experts have asked one and all not to stop maintaining protocols.
As it is still in nascent stages and very difficult to predict. Moreover, the experts are of the opinion that infections are not coming down at the same pace everywhere. They have also said that more infections may happen.
Many top scientists and health experts, like Lauren Ancel Meyers, is of the opinion that the reported cases might again peak in a week’s time. The University of Washington has in the meanwhile developed forecast models, according to which the daily average infections in the U.S. might head to 1.2 million. Then, it may again start falling from Jan 19 onwards.
The hospitals are at the moment under huge pressure due to the contagious nature and number of infections. Many people, although not as serious, are running to hospitals due to panic. This is again pushing the system against the wall. Authorities believe that by that time, all those who are to get infected will get infected. The latest such peak in terms of numbers was at 6 million on Jan 6.
Yesterday, the numbers in Britain showed 140,000 infections in a day from last week. However, it is not time for celebration yet, as cases are on the rise at certain locations. Southwest England and West Midlands are the places where the cases, have peaked. The outbreak may just peak in London this week as well.
The above figures are still considered as a positive note. The same graph was seen in South Africa, after which there was a drastic drop in the number of cases. The two countries are expecting the same. Health care officials and professors closely following the variant and all the research work are of the opinion that everybody has to take a wait and watch stance.
It is due to the fact that the demographics of the UK and South Africa are entirely different. The current population of the British is older than that of South Africa and less resilient.
It has also been noted that just imposing lockdowns may not do a lot of good. It can slow down the infection rate but may not be good in controlling the numbers in a week or so. Doctors in Canadian hospitals say that slowly surmounting infections can overwhelm the healthcare facilities.
Additionally, the British have not enforced too many restrictions, which could lead to a huge surge in the number of infections. France, Spain, and Italy have imposed tighter controls, so it could mean that these places will have a lower number of infections than areas that enjoy free control.
The next 2-3 weeks can be tough for the U.S., say the authorities. Moreover, the Omicron can be a turning point in the history of the pandemic. The continued infections and the vaccination can make people immune to future variants.
However, there is no stringent evidence on the same yet. Experts hope to reach a stage when the population is able to co-exist with the virus. But there may be other variants lurking in the background, as well.
