On Friday, Dr. Francis Collins, the outgoing director of the National Institutes of Health, warned CNN’s Anderson Cooper that the Omicron variation might lead to a million new cases per day.
Collins stated that the consequence of such a wide spread on an already overburdened health-care system is unknown.
“The real concern is whether that million instances will be unwell enough to require medical attention, including hospitalization.” Collins stated on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, his last day as director of the National Institutes of Health.
Over the last month, hospitalizations for Covid-19 have risen as medical facilities around the country have been swamped with patients infected with the Delta form. Now, the advent of Omicron — which scientists believe is more contagious, despite the fact that most instances so far appear to be mild — might push some already overburdened health-care systems over the edge.
Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that a more transmissible form of Covid-19, such as Omicron, will have a greater impact on the tens of millions of Americans who haven’t been vaccinated.
Traveling and gathering for Christmas and New Year’s can be done safely among those who have been inoculated, according to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and getting booster shots into the arms of vaccinated Americans remains paramount to increasing antibody response.
“We need to boost vaccinated people if we’re going to deal with Omicron successfully,” Fauci told NBC on Sunday.
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through October, those who are unvaccinated have a 10-fold higher risk of testing positive and a 20-fold higher risk of dying from Covid-19 than those who have been vaccinated and boosted.
People who have had all of their immunizations and boosters will either not acquire an infection or, if they do, it will be minimal, according to Murthy.
States’ responses to epidemics
With Omicron detected in practically every state in the US and Delta still present, instances are on the rise in some locations.
According to Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York, which was one of the hardest-hit states at the start of the pandemic, broke a new record for single-day Covid-19 cases for the fourth consecutive day Monday, reporting a threefold increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in one week.
According to a CNN Health analysis, there is a three-week gap in Covid-19 case statistics and hospitalizations, but officials are optimistic that the state will be in a better position than last year.
Hochul stated, “This is not March of 2020, and we are not vulnerable.” “We have the tools we need to protect ourselves and our loved ones who are vulnerable: get vaccinated, receive the booster, and wear a mask indoors or at large gatherings. During the winter surge, don’t take any chances.”
According to Gov. Phil Murphy and Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, New Jersey just had its highest day positive case count in in a year, with 6,533 positive PCR tests; the statewide percent-positivity rate is 12.11 percent. Hospitalizations, however, are not increasing at the same rate as cases, according to the governor. The state said on Monday that 1,902 persons were now hospitalized with Covid-19, much fewer than the peak of 8,270 documented Covid hospitalizations in April 2020.
Given Connecticut’s reduced caseload, Gov. Ned Lamont said he would be “a bit apprehensive” to visit New York or New Jersey right now. He did say, however, that he had no plans to impose any quarantines on persons traveling to and from Covid-19 hotspots.
“I’m not in a position to impose quarantine on anything. I’m not going to attempt that “Lamont explained.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that the state has been preparing for a winter surge and that the state hopes to battle Covid-19 spread with measures such as state-issued at-home testing and hospital bed stretching. Bringing in health care workers from other states has also been crucial, according to Sununu.
Over the next three to five weeks, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan predicts “probably the greatest surge we’ve seen in our hospitals throughout the entire crisis,” saying “Fox News Sunday” that officials are “doing all we can to get the last 9.2 percent of our population vaccinated.”
Hogan revealed in a tweet on Monday that he had tested positive for Covid-19. Hogan, who has been vaccinated and has had a booster shot, said the test was part of his routine. The Republican governor’s announcement follows a string of lawmakers who have been fully vaccinated and boosted and tested positive for Covid-19.
Changes are occurring in schools and sports.
Depending on whether hospitalizations climb or plateau in the coming weeks, the tone of the discourse regarding Covid-19 may change. Nonetheless, some universities and sports leagues are actively striving to prevent the spread of the virus.
Stanford University has indicated that for the first two weeks of the forthcoming winter quarter, beginning January 3, it will switch to online instruction due to “uncertainty” surrounding the Omicron version.
For the first three weeks of January courses, Harvard University is likewise switching to remote learning, citing “the rapid rise in Covid-19 cases locally and across the country, as well as the growing presence of the highly transmissible Omicron form” in an open letter.
Several major sports leagues have had to postpone events due to the escalating number of Covid-19 cases. Seven NHL teams have been shut down indefinitely as of Sunday, and the league and its players’ union have announced that games that require cross-border travel between the United States and Canada would be postponed until after Christmas.
Five NBA games have been postponed due to the fact that various teams in the league have multiple players who are subject to Covid-19 health and safety protocols. More than a dozen NCAA men’s basketball games have been postponed or canceled.
In addition, the NFL has postponed three Sunday games and changed its Covid-19 testing methods, which no longer include testing of asymptomatic, fully vaccinated players, coaches, or other personnel who have close contact with athletes. According to a copy of the protocols obtained by CNN, all persons will be examined for Covid-19 symptoms prior to entering team facilities.
