As Per New Study Omicron Spreading Rapidly In The United States

When the Omicron variant was found, WHO was quick to ascertain its potential and named it a ‘variant of concern’. Within a few weeks of hitting the US shores, the Omicron variant has already lived up to its reputation, infecting several people in the country and accounting for nearly 73% of all new Covid cases in the last week itself.

As Per New Study Omicron Spreading Rapidly In The United States

The Delta variant caused great havoc in the country and just as the delta wave had started to decline and America had started to recover, the onset of the Omicron variant yet again threatens the definition of ‘normal lives’ of the Americans as to being restricted in their homes to avoid the spread of the virus.

Data collected by the CDC show a six-time increase in Omicron’s share of infections in a period of just one week. The variant is spreading at a very fast rate, but experts feel that it isn’t surprising as the growth rate in cases is similar to most countries where the Omicron variant has reached, yet the numbers are concerning.

The Omicron variant is contagious as predicted by health experts across the globe, but not much is known about its fatality rate and the severity of the infection it causes. So far, the death rates due to Omicron haven’t risen as exponentially as the rise in the number of cases, but researchers are still trying to estimate its full potential and the best ways to tackle it on a global scale.

Since the month of June, it was the Delta variant that had been causing more than 99% of the cases in the country, till the end of November, that is when the Omicron variant arrived in the U.S.

Dr. Eric Topol, head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said that while Omicron is undoubtedly a highly contagious variant, yet its spread in the U.S in the past week or so is manifold larger when compared to other countries where the variant has been found.

He also presses on the fact that not much is known about the Omicron variant, and it is unclear whether the variant is milder compared to the Delta variant that caused a huge number of casualties not just in the U.S, but across the world.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the John Hopkins Centre for Health Security feels that contact with Omicron is inevitable for a majority of the population and the best way to be fully prepared against it is to be vaccinated.

So far, the U.S government is asking all Americans to get vaccinated at the earliest and experts are suggesting that they get the booster shots at the earliest as well, as it is the best form of defence against the virus that is available at the moment.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been regularly keeping track of the Omicron variant in order to control its spread in the best way they can. On Monday, they revised their estimates for the week that ended on December 11, and it was declared that around 13% of Covid related cases were that of the Omicron variant.

The week before had seen just around 1% of cases and now that number has reached around 73%. The health experts had already warned everyone about the spread of the Omicron variant and are repeatedly asking the citizens to be cautious, to avoid social gatherings and wear masks at all times.

With the onset of the festive season, the case tally is very likely to go up, and too quite rapidly, American citizens need to remember that the fight against Covid is not yet over and must ensure to take all necessary precautions amongst the festivities