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Not Omicron, US still battling Delta variant driven hospitalisations: Report
The US healthcare workers are struggling to handle the patient influx due to staff crunch. An analysis by New York Times showed the country is seeing about 121,300 Covid-19 cases per day - a rise of about 27 per cent from two weeks before.
Even as Omicron variant of Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) - first detected in South Africa, raises concern across the globe, the Delta variant remains an impending threat as it continues to contribute in the rate of hospitalisations in the United States.
According to a report by the New York Times, US healthcare workers are struggling to handle the patient influx due to staff crunch, which has been brought on by diseases, burnout and vaccine mandates. An analysis by the New York Times has revealed that over 55,000 Covid-19 patients in the country are currently hospitalised. This figure is though a lot fewer than what it was in September, it saw a surge more than 15 per cent in the past two weeks.
At the moment, the analysis showed, the US is witnessing about 121,300 Covid-19 cases per day - a rise of about 27 per cent from two weeks before. The rate of logged fatalities are up by 12 per cent, therefore averaging about 1,275 per day.
The NYT report said that Michigan tops the chart in the country with most hospitalisations per capita. Cases and hospitalisations are also seeing a rapid increase in Connecticut that reported a 69 per cent rise in patients over the last two weeks.
What remains concerning is that states with one of the highest vaccination rates are also struggling with hospitalisations. For instance, Maine has fully vaccinated about 73 per cent of its population, behind only Vermont and Rhode Island, as per New York Times database. However, coronavirus cases in Maine recently went up to its peak since the pandemic struck the US.
One of Maine's largest hospital - Maine Medical Center, said in a statement on Wednesday that there had been times this week when they lacked even a single critical bed, thus forcing surgeries to be postponed. It also said that the hospital is looking after an overwhelming number of patients.
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Maine Medical Center, the state’s largest hospital, said in a statement on Wednesday that there had been times this week “when there were no critical care beds available,” forcing hospital leaders to postpone surgeries.
Missouri's University Health hospital system's chief medical officer Dr Mark Steele told New York Times that at the moment, the Delta variant is overwhelmingly prominent and now there are Omicron-related concerns to think about as well.
Delta variant of Covid-19, discovered in India in late 2020, caused hysteria across the world with several countries opting for fresh and stricter lockdowns to combat it.
Meanwhile, as Omicron - classified as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organisation (WHO) similar to that of Delta, cases have already been reported in at least 30 nations, fear remains regarding its impact. The UN health agency, has however, said that there is no reason to assume that Omicron is going to be more severe than other variants of coronavirus, or that available vaccines will fail to render protection against it.
WHO emergencies' director Michael Ryan told AFP that currently there is no indication to suggest that Omicron will be more dangerous than Delta, and existing vaccines should protect people.
