US Coronavirus: Omicron now accounts for 73% of coronavirus cases in the US,

On Dec 20, 2021

For the week ending December 18, Omicron accounted for 73.2% of cases, with Delta making up an additional 26.6%.

The week prior, ending December 11, Omicron was estimated at 12.6% of circulating virus, versus Delta’s 87%. Previously, the CDC estimated Omicron accounted for about 3% that week.

Omicron is even more prevalent in certain parts of the country — making up over 95% of circulating virus in parts of the Northwest and Southeast, the data shows.

With the Delta and Omicron coronavirus variants spreading across the nation as the new year approaches, health experts are urging Americans to get vaccinated or boosted to protect themselves and others before they face greater chances of infection.

Airport travel before Christmas is up by nearly double from a year ago, according to Transportation Security Administration data, with more than 2 million people screened each day from December 16-18. And the indoor gatherings among friends and family could ultimately infect more who are at higher risk for Covid-19 complications.

As the virus spreads, more cities are adding restrictions, including New York and Washington, DC.

Mayor Muriel Bowser announced an indoor mask mandate for the District will be reinstated starting at 6 a.m. Tuesday through January 31.

The announcement comes as DC has been experiencing its highest daily coronavirus case count since the start of the pandemic.

Bowser also said she plans to reinstate the district’s state of emergency and announced a six-part plan to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday the city is testing “more people than ever” for Covid-19 and city officials are working with federal officials and the private sector to get more testing supplies. Officials are also working to get more in-home test kits to offer to people as an alternative testing option.

De Blasio also spoke about the annual New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square.

Currently, the outdoor event is still scheduled to go on and all guests must be fully vaccinated.

But de Blasio said city officials are reviewing plans for the event in light of Omicron and said any changes would be announced before Christmas.

Experts discuss what’s next

Dr. Francis Collins, the outgoing director of the National Institutes of Health, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Friday that the Omicron variant could result in as many as a million new cases a day.

Collins suggested the impact of that level of spread on an already stressed health care system remains uncertain.

“The big question is, are those million cases going to be sick enough to need health care and especially hospitalization?” Collins said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, his last day as NIH director.

Americans are less willing to take precautions as the coronavirus wears on

Covid-19 hospitalizations trended upward over the past month as medical facilities in some parts of the country have been inundated with patients infected with the Delta variant. Now, the presence of Omicron — which scientists believe to be more contagious though most cases so far appear to be mild — may push some strained health care systems to the brink.

“It is quite likely that we are going to see in some sections of the country, a significant stress on the hospital…

US Coronavirus: Omicron now accounts for 73% of coronavirus cases in the US,

Experts discuss what’s next

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