Omicron is now the dominant variant of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in omicron’s share of infections in only one week.
The spike in COVID-19 cases in New York City and across the U.S. over the weekend, have dashed hopes for a more normal holiday season, necessitating restrictions and stretching the country’s testing infrastructure ahead of holiday travel and gatherings.
Overall, omicron is still a small percentage of all U.S. COVID cases. In the week that ended Dec. 11, omicron’s share of new infections in the U.S. increased to 2.9% from 0.4% the week before, the CDC previously reported.
But CDC said they are revising some of the earlier numbers, after analyzing more specimens. The new numbers indicate that about 13% of the infections the week of Dec. 11 were omicron, and not 3%, CDC officials said.
The new estimates demonstrate how rapidly it has spread across the U.S.
Health officials say getting booster shots appears to still offer substantial protection against severe disease and death from omicron.
Featured Image Credit: Rochelle P. Walensky, Director U.S. CDC | Greg Nash
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