The United States (US) on Monday set a global record for daily cases after reporting one million new COVID-19 infections. The surge in infections could have been prompted by the long New Year’s weekend that saw a delay in testing results. The end of the holiday season, during which many people travelled, might also have played a role.
Last week, Johns Hopkins University reported 480,000 new cases in a single day, more than twice the number of cases the US experienced at the height of the Delta variant; the US was averaging around 70,000 daily cases in early November 2021. On Tuesday, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the new Omicron variant accounts for 95.4% of the COVID-19 cases in the country.
According to data collected by NPR, the are over 112,000 hospitalised COVID-19 patients; they occupy 26% of the country’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, a 50% increase compared to last week’s numbers. The only time hospitalisations in the US surpassed 100,000 was during the Delta variant wave. However, Reuters noted that despite the massive spike in cases, the death rate throughout December and early January has remained “fairly steady” at around 1,300 fatalities a day. In January 2021, the daily death rate was 4,442; however, this was before the vaccine became available.
Although President Joe Biden has not said anything about lockdowns or restrictions, states are taking independent action. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency for 30 days as hospitalisations hit 3,000; there are projections that this figure could hit 5,000, far higher than the state’s previous peak of 1,952.
On Sunday, Dr Anthony Fauci, the Chief Medical Adviser to the President, said the nation is experiencing an “almost vertical increase” in cases, highlighting that even a low hospitalisation rate is enough to strain hospitals.
NPR’s Michaeleen Doucleff explained that there is a perception that the Omicron is less harmful due to reportedly less severe symptoms. However, this may the because it is infecting a large number of vaccinated people. Based on November 2021 data, the CDC reported that hospitalisation rates are eight times higher among unvaccinated adults and ten times higher for children. 73.9% of American citizens have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 62% have received two doses, and 20.9% have received a booster dose.
During a briefing on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that the Biden administration had decided to purchase 500 million at home COVID-19 test kits in an effort to tackle the crisis. Psaki also emphasised Biden’s message that vaccination and boosters will reduce people’s chances of hospitalisation.