COVID-19 Update

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WaPo: (freebie)

Omicron spiking, but hospitalizations ‘comparatively low,’ CDC director says

Coronavirus cases are soaring across the United States as the more transmissible omicron variant spreads, but hospitalizations remain “comparatively low,” Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters Wednesday.

The seven-day rolling average of newly reported infections is about 240,000, up by 60 percent from the previous week, she said, although hospitalizations rose by only 14 percent during the same period.

Walensky said hospitalizations tend to lag behind infections by roughly two weeks. But she also noted that omicron, which is now dominant nationwide, appears to cause milder symptoms, especially for vaccinated people.

Health officials in other countries also are renewing warnings about the pandemic amid a worldwide surge in cases. “The virus itself … will probably settle down into a pattern of transmission at low levels,” said Mike Ryan, a senior World Health Organization official. “But we’re certainly not there yet. This is going to be a bumpy road.”

Here’s what to know

• Top medical adviser Anthony S. Fauci urged Americans on Wednesday to rethink their New Year’s Eve plans, encouraging smaller gatherings rather than large parties as infections skyrocket.
• U.S. infection numbers continue to break records, with more than 482,400 new cases reported Wednesday, according to Washington Post data. The seven-day average is also at a high of 301,500 cases, surpassing the previous peak in January.
• The number of daily pediatric covid hospital admissions in the United States surpassed 1,200 on Wednesday, according to Washington Post data, approaching highs last seen in the summer. However, doctors have said that despite seeing record positive results from children’s coronavirus tests, the vast majority of cases so far have been mild.
• The Johnson & Johnson booster could help cut covid hospitalizations, according to a South African study of over 69,000 health-care workers who received a second dose. The study, which has not been peer reviewed, found that the booster was about 84 percent effective in preventing hospital admissions as the omicron variant spread.