|
 The fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus has become
dominant in the United States with lightning speed, and claimed the
life on Monday of an unvaccinated man in Texas, officials said.
The spike in COVID-19 cases is alarming public health officials, who
fear an explosion of infections after the Christmas and New Year's
holidays.
The Omicron variant now accounts for 73% of U.S. coronavirus
infections based on sequencing data for the week ended on Saturday,
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday.
With the new variant in circulation, COVID-19 cases are now doubling
in 1-1/2 to three days in areas with community transmission, the
World Health Organization said on Saturday.
Lines for COVID-19 tests wrapped around the block in New York,
Washington and other U.S. cities over the weekend as people clamored
to find out if they were infected before celebrating the holidays
with family.
"I just want to make sure before seeing my wife's 70-year-old mom
that I'm negative," said David Jochnowitz while waiting for a test
in Washington.
With the rapid rise in infections, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser on
Monday reinstated an indoor mask mandate until the end of January
and required government workers to get vaccinated, including a
booster shot.
"I think we're all tired of it," Bowser told reporters. "I'm tired
of it too, but we have to respond to what's happening in our city
and what's happening in our nation."
In New York City, COVID-19 cases rose 60% in the week that ended on
Sunday as Omicron spread rapidly around the U.S. Northeast. New York
has set records for the most new cases reported in a single day
since the pandemic started for three consecutive days.
"It is a predictor of what the rest of the country will see soon,
and the minimum - since NYC is highly vaccinated - of what other
parts of the country will experience in under-vaccinated cities and
states," said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American
Public Health Association.
Many Broadway productions canceled performances as cast and crew
have become infected. The popular "Hamilton" production on Monday
extended cancellations until after Christmas due to breakthrough
COVID-19 infections.
Breakthrough infections are rising among the 61% of the country's
fully vaccinated population, including the 30% who have gotten
booster shots.
Omicron appears to be causing milder symptoms in vaccinated
populations, and health experts remain optimistic this wave might
not cause the same spikes in hospitalizations and deaths as previous
surges.
A man in his 50s from the eastern part of Harris County, Texas, who
was not vaccinated died on Monday from an infection caused by the
Omicron variant, County Judge Lina Hidalgo posted on Twitter. The
county, where Houston is located, was also the site of the first
recorded U.S. Omicron case, on Dec. 6.
The man was the first local fatality from the variant, Hidalgo said.
ABC News reported it is believed to be the first known U.S. death
related to Omicron.
'JUST STAY HOME'
New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said on Monday
that while new COVID-19 cases have "increased sharply,"
hospitalizations have not jumped at the same rate. He credited
vaccinations and booster shots, which help prevent severe illness,
and urged that more were needed to build a "seawall" against the
variant.
The spread of Omicron prompted Duke University in Durham, North
Carolina, on Monday to require all students, faculty and staff to
get a COVID-19 booster shot for the upcoming spring semester.
[to top of second column] |
 Nationally, cases rose 9% in
the past week but are up 57% since the start of
December, according to a Reuters tally.
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients have increased
26% this month, with hospitals in some areas
already strained by the Delta variant.
The Omicron variant was more than 90% dominant in regions including
parts of the Northeast, the Southeast and the Northwest, according
to DNA sequencing of the virus collected by the CDC for the week
ended Saturday.
That is a sharp increase from the previous week, when the virus
accounted for just about 3% of sequenced cases.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced strict new rules requiring
patrons and employees at restaurants, bars, gyms and entertainment
venues to be vaccinated. The rules, to be phased in over three
months starting in January, will ultimately apply to children as
young as five, and all adults.
Midwest hospitals were still dealing with a surge in patients from a
Delta wave this fall. Michigan, Indiana and Ohio have the nation's
most-hospitalized COVID-19 patients per 100,000 residents, a Reuters
tally found.
In New York City, the daily test rate reached an average of 130,000
per day, Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters on Monday, more than
double three weeks ago.
President Joe Biden will deliver a speech on Tuesday on how to deal
with Omicron, the White House said. The president tested negative
for COVID-19 after a mid-level White House staff member who had
spent about 30 minutes near Biden on Friday tested positive on
Monday morning, the White House said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Monday she was ramping up the
state’s testing program, with 1 million kits arriving this week and
the same amount in each of the next two weeks.
“More and more people are going to be testing positive from this,"
she said. For those who do, she advised: "Just stay home, do not go
out. Don't go to work. Don't go see your family."
The state's health director, Dr. Mary Bassett, is among those who
have tested positive for COVID-19, Hochul said.
Omicron's arrival is a headwind for an economic revival in New York
that already lags the rest of the country, especially where
employment is concerned.
The pandemic delivered an even larger body blow to the city than the
rest of the country because of the outsized role played by tourism,
leisure and hospitality, which suffered the worst under lockdowns
and travel restrictions. New York's jobless rate topped out at 20%
in the spring of 2020 - more than 5 percentage points above the U.S.
average, and is still 9%, more than twice the national rate.
Unemployment in New York remains high
To view the graphic, click here:
https://graphics.reuters.com/
CORONAVIRUS-USA/klvyknybkvg/chart_eikon.jpg
(Reporting by Maria Caspani in New York, Lisa Shumaker in Chicago
and Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, Calif.; Additional reporting and
writing by Gabriella Borter in Washington and Peter Szekely in New
York; Additional reporting by Carl O'Donnell in New York and and
Greg Savoy in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Peter Cooney and
Sonya Hepinstall)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content
 |
