There is some good news about the pandemic situation in the US. Recent data shows that the spread of Omicron is decreasing in major states. The weekly indicators show a slowdown, and this is clearly visible in cities like New York. Interestingly, a similar trend was observed in South Africa and Britain, which saw a high number of Omicron cases in December.
US Data Shows Omicron Decreasing In New York
New York City recorded an all-time high daily caseload of 40000 during the new year. However, in a matter of two weeks, it has started to decline considering the seven-day average.
As of now, the city is recording close to 30000 daily cases. Even though this is a high number when compared to previous waves, it is still indicating a decline in the number of new cases.
The trend of decline in weekly average cases for Covid was also seen in Chicago and New Jersey. This is due to increased screening and the mild nature of the new variant Omicron. In this wave, not many people are hospitalized with severe symptoms, and most people can treat themselves at home without much complication.
However, the country is still recording a high number of cases daily, and it has been close to a million cases every day for two weeks. The decline is mainly observed in big cities that have an excellent vaccination rate.
Even though Omicron is mild compared to previous variants, it is highly transmissible. Due to this behavior, a large number of people are getting infected within a short period. This means that even when a small percentage of people end up in hospitals, it can put a big load due to the high number of infections.
As of now, the number of hospitalizations in the US is at its peak of 160,000 patients, and the earlier peak saw the rate close to 100,000. Most people who are admitted to ICU are those who have not taken the vaccines. Considering this trend, it is important to promote vaccination across the country to reduce the burden on the health system.
The Omicron surge has also hit the healthcare workers in a big way, and there is a shortage of trained workers to handle the huge inflow of patients. Considering this situation, the authorities have permitted infected healthcare workers to resume work if they suffer from mild symptoms. Even though this is a controversial move, the health authorities are left with no option as they cannot get healthcare workers to serve at short notice.
The number of deaths is relatively less in this wave when compared to the previous ones. The previous peak saw a death rate of close to 2000 per day, and as of now, it is close to 1700 per day in the US.
In order to boost the vaccination rate across the country, the Biden administration had issued a mandate requiring all businesses with more than 100 employees to have mandatory vaccination. However, this move was opposed by the Supreme Court as it felt that workers might not turn up for work if they are forced to get vaccines. This could lead to other economic problems in the near future.
On the other hand, the vaccination mandate now applies to health care workers, and this has boosted the confidence of the public in the health system. It is a good thing considering the fact that vaccinated people are not showing severe outcomes in this wave. Most people in critical care units are yet to get vaccinated. The vaccines have worked effectively in preventing severe outcomes during this wave.
