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The fast-spreading omicron variant of the coronavirus has now been reported in 50 international locations and 19 states, stated Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. She added, “we anticipate that quantity to proceed to extend.”
States which have detected the variant vary from Hawaii to Texas to Massachusetts. The studies are a part of a brand new surge in COVID-19 instances within the U.S. that now tops 100,000 instances per day.
Whereas officers and researchers are involved concerning the transmissibility of the omicron variant, additionally they say it is too early to know what toll it’d take within the U.S.
Consultants say it is going to doubtless be weeks earlier than significant information about affected person outcomes will emerge from South Africa, which first reported the variant. The nation has seen an exponential rise in COVID-19 instances in Gauteng Province, the epicenter of the outbreak.
In what might be a supply of cautious optimism, the South African Medical Analysis Council not too long ago stated that over the previous two weeks, nearly all of sufferers in hospitals’ COVID-19 wards haven’t required further oxygen to breathe. The council additionally stated that most of the omicron COVID-19 diagnoses arose from what is called incidental findings — like when a affected person is examined after coming to the hospital for different causes, like a surgical procedure or a being pregnant.
There are additionally key variations in circumstances: in South Africa, as an illustration, solely a few third of the eligible inhabitants has been absolutely vaccinated — far decrease than within the U.S.
Walensky stated Tuesday that whereas the variety of omicron instances is predicted to rise within the U.S, the latest information present that greater than 99% of coronavirus samples which have been genetically sequenced confirmed the delta variant. She added that it’s too early to know whether or not omicron will turn into dominant in opposition to delta or not.