Omicron variant driving Covid surge in cases, hospitalisations in United States

According to data shared by worldometers.com, the United States on Saturday reported over 466,000 new cases of the coronavirus disease which pushed the overall tally to nearly 61 million. On January 3, the country set a global record in daily tally with 1,080,211 cases.

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is wreaking havoc across the United States as the country continues to record an alarming increase in the number of infections on a daily basis.

Health workers prepare as people arrive at a Covid-19 testing station in Houston, Texas, to receive a Covid test on January 7, 2022. (AFP)

According to data shared by worldometers.com, the United States on Saturday reported over 466,000 new cases of the coronavirus disease which pushed the overall tally to nearly 61 million. On January 3, the country set a global record in daily tally with 1,080,211 cases.

The Omicron variant, first discovered in South Africa in November 2021, is also driving a record surge in the number of hospitalisations in the United States.

News agency Reuters reported on Saturday that hospitalisations have been steadily increasing since late December last year, and health officials have warned that the sheer number of cases caused by Omicron is placing a strain on hospitals.

Many hospitals across the country are struggling to keep up with the influx of patients as their own workers are out sick.

The rising number of Covid-19 patients also brings in burnout and extreme exhaustion for healthcare workers. Doctors and nurses are frustrated at the surge in the number of unvaccinated patients by saying that they are unable to understand why people ignore doctors' advice to get inoculated against Covid-19 but then seek help once infected, Reuters further reported.

Authorities in the US, including President Joe Biden, have said that vaccination protects people from severe illness and death.

“If you're unvaccinated, you're at a high risk of getting sick. And if you get sick you're likely to spread it to others, including friends and family. We should all be concerned about Omicron, but not panicked,” Biden said during an address from the White House on December 21 last year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States administered over 518 million vaccine doses as of Saturday morning and nearly 640 million doses were distributed. The CDC's tally includes two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine.

(With Reuters inputs)