As health experts and world leaders worry, the “worrying variant” Omicron is becoming the main strain of the global coronavirus. Since Omicron cases were detected in South Africa three weeks ago, Omicron cases have been detected in 77 countries.

In the United States, the country most affected by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, this number has been increasing alarmingly.

After an individual traveled to San Francisco from South Africa at the end of November, the first case of Omicron was found in the United States on December 1. The traveler was vaccinated.

Since then, Omicron’s cases have been steadily increasing in the United States.

Where is Omicron detected in the United States?

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 38 states in the country have reported this highly spreading variant. It now accounts for 3% of reported cases in the United States. (See map)

In some states such as New York and New Jersey, Omicron levels are high-13% of the total sample. In New York, the positive rate of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) doubled in three days, and experts say this is due to the Omicron variant. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said: “It is clear that the Omicron variant is already fully functional in New York City.”

However, Delta is still the main variant circulating in the United States.

According to the CDC, 200 million Americans have been fully vaccinated, but only 56 million have received booster injections. As the spread of the Omicron variant continues unabated, US President Joe Biden warned on Thursday that there will be “serious diseases and deaths” among unvaccinated Americans in the winter.

“…I want to send a message directly to the American people: Omicron has not spread as fast as it happened in Europe because of the measures we have taken. But it is here now, and it is spreading, and it will increase, “Biden said after meeting with members of his Covid-19 response team. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 98 million people in the Americas have been infected with Covid-19, and more than 2.3 million people have died from the disease.

Of all the cases reported globally, more than one-third and one-quarter of deaths occurred in the region.

In the United States, the death toll from Covid-19 on Tuesday exceeded the tragic 800,000.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times