Now, 73 per cent of new US Covid cases are of Omicron

Omicron is responsible for an estimated 90 per cent or more of new infections in the New York area, the Southeast, the industrial Midwest and the Pacific Northwest

Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the US, accounting for 73 per cent of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in omicron’s share of infections in only one week. In much of the country, it’s even higher. Omicron is responsible for an estimated 90 per cent or more of new infections in the New York area, the Southeast, the industrial Midwest and the Pacific Northwest. The national rate suggests that more than 6,50,000 omicron infections occurred in the US last week.

Since the end of June, the delta variant had been the main version causing US infections. As recently as the end of November, more than 99.5 per cent of coronaviruses were delta, according to CDC data. CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said the new numbers reflect the kind of growth seen in other countries. “These numbers are stark, but they’re not surprising,” she said.

Much about the omicron variant remains unknown, including whether it causes more or less severe illness. Early studies suggest the vaccinated will need a booster shot for the best chance at preventing omicron infection but even without the extra dose, vaccination still should offer strong protection against severe illness and death. “All of us have a date with omicron,” said Dr Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “If you’re going to interact with society, if you’re going to have any type of life, omicron will be something you encounter, and the best way you can encounter this is to be fully vaccinated.” Though there remain a lot of new infections caused by the delta variant, “I anticipate that over time that delta will be crowded out by omicron,” Walensky said.

Hospitality biz in the UK gets grant

Recognising that the rise of the Omicron variant of  the coronavirus means  some businesses are likely to struggle over the coming weeks, UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Tuesday announced an additional £1-billion package to fund  one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises for businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England.

People queue up to get tested at Times Square in New York on Monday. Pic/AFP

‘Most Omicron patients recovering with simple treatment’

South African Medical Association Chairperson Dr Angelique Coetzee on Tuesday said that most patients in her country recovered from Omicron with a simple and easy line of treatment. Dr Coetzee, who first identified the variant, said,  “We start immediately after the diagnosis with low dosage cortisone and something like ibuprofen to help with the muscle pain and headaches and that’s it. That’s what we give. There’s nothing else. There’s no oxygen, not even antibiotics required.” Coetzee said, “Most cases reported so far manifested symptoms like body aches, headache, tiredness. They may or may not have a cough; it is mostly dry cough with a sore and scratchy throat. According to a recent study, it affects the upper respiratory tract and not the lower airways like the delta variant.”

5,04,603
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

27,39,00,334
Total no. of cases worldwide

53,51,812
Total no. of deaths worldwide

Source: WHO/Johns Hopkins

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