The United States has reached the highest rate of new Covid cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, as Omicron variations spread at a rapid rate.
The seven-day moving average of new cases was 265,427 as of Tuesday, exceeding the previous high of 251,989 set by mid-January 2021, a university-held tracker.
Before Johns Hopkins released the data, Harvard epidemiologist and immunologist Michael Mina wrote on Twitter that the figure may be “frozen” and the actual number of cases may be too high, due to a lack of tests and the results of home tests not included.
The most versatile Omicron model, which according to government models accounted for 59 percent of U.S. cases last week on December 25, is the most contagious to date.
It is usually able to bypass previous immunizations given with previous immunizations and infections.
Although the rate of side effects appears low, Omicron already has expanded hospital systems across the country, as health workers travel in large numbers due to fatigue.
An estimated 9,000 patients admitted daily, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are still somewhat lacking in the top 16,500 16,500 per day seen in January, although this is an indication of the backlog.
About 1,200 people died on average every day on December 23, the day before data collection was disrupted by the Christmas holidays.
In January, deaths increased by an average of 3,400 a day.
Experts hope that the US Omicron wave will resemble a “flood” as seen in South Africa, where it was first reported in mid-November but where charges have been declining for more than a week.
The latest milestone comes as the CDC has shortened the recommended time for people to isolate themselves after being tested for HIV from 10 to 5 days, as long as they have no symptoms and continue to wear the mask.
The move has been praised by airlines and the tourism industry, but public health experts have criticized the decision to abandon the need for a negative Covid test – even for a faster, more effective antigen infection.
More than 820,000 Americans have been killed by the epidemic, making the United States the world’s worst-hit country.