From Reuters:
“U.S. reports nearly 1 mln
COVID-19 cases in a day, setting global record”
(People wait in long lines at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing and
vaccines, as the Omicron variant continues to spread in Indianapolis, Indiana,
U.S., December 29, 2021.)
The United States set a global
record of almost 1 million new coronavirus infections reported on Monday,
according to a Reuters tally, nearly double the country's peak of 505,109 hit
just a week ago as the highly contagious Omicron variant shows no sign of
slowing. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has risen nearly 50% in
the last week and now exceeds 100,000, a Reuters analysis showed, the first
time that threshold has been reached since the winter surge a year ago. Overall,
the United States has seen a daily average of 486,000 cases over the last week,
a rate that has doubled in seven days and far outstrips that of any other
country. The 978,856 new infections on Monday includes some cases from Saturday
and Sunday, when many states do not report. The average number of U.S. deaths
per day has remained fairly steady throughout December and into early January
at about 1,300, according to a Reuters tally, though deaths typically lag
behind cases and hospitalizations. Omicron appears to be far more easily
transmitted than previous iterations of the virus. The variant was estimated to
account for 95.4% of the coronavirus cases identified in the United States as
of Jan. 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on
Tuesday.
The World Health Organization
said on Tuesday that evidence thus far suggests Omicron is causing less severe
illness. Nevertheless, public health officials have warned that the sheer
volume of Omicron cases threatens to overwhelm hospitals, some of which are
already struggling to handle a wave of COVID-19 patients, primarily among the
unvaccinated. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a 30-day state of
emergency on Tuesday and mobilized 1,000 National Guard members to pandemic response
operations as COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state hit a record high of more
than 3,000. That is an increase of more than 500% in the last seven weeks,
Hogan said. "The truth is that the next four to six weeks will be the most
challenging time of the entire pandemic," Hogan told reporters. "Our
newest projections as of today show that COVID hospitalizations could reach
more than 5,000, which would be more than 250% higher than our previous peak of
1,952 last year."
Delaware, Illinois, Ohio and Washington,
D.C., also have reported record numbers of hospitalized COVID patients in
recent days. The unrelenting surge has prompted more than 3,200 schools to
close their buildings this week, according to Burbio, a site that tracks school
disruptions. Schools that have remained open are facing staff shortages and
renewed concerns about virus spread. In Boston, where more than 54,000 students
returned to class on Tuesday following the holiday break, Superintendent of
Schools Brenda Cassellius told reporters there were 1,000 staff members out,
including 461 teachers and 52 bus drivers. "It does make for a difficult
start to the day," she said. In Chicago, the teachers union objected to
Monday's return to schools, saying the district needs stricter protocols such
as required testing. Teachers were expected to vote on Tuesday on whether they
support working remotely starting on Wednesday. The Biden administration has
continued to emphasize widespread vaccinations and boosters as the best way to
protect against severe illness. The CDC on Tuesday recommended shortening the
interval between Pfizer-BioNTech's (PFE.N), second COVID-19 vaccine dose and
the booster shot to five months from six, a day after the Food and Drug
Administration made a similar move.
^ Again the US beats Covid
Records that no country wants to beat. ^
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