The United States also could not avoid the wild move of the new mutation Omicron in the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). In some states, including New York, the average weekly number of new cases reached a new high since the pandemic.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 27th (local time), the average number of new confirmed cases in the United States for 7 days exceeded 197,000 as of the 24th, before the Christmas holiday. This is a 65% increase over the past two weeks.
The seven-day average death toll also increased by 3% to 1,345.
In particular, New York, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico recorded the highest average number of new cases since the pandemic on the 7th.
Although the number of hospitalizations is not increasing as the number of confirmed cases is rapidly increasing, it cannot be denied that the medical system is in danger of increasing burden.
The number of hospitalized patients due to COVID-19 is also increasing significantly, and about 71,000 are currently hospitalized. This is an 8% increase from the previous week.
In particular, the New York Department of Health announced on the 5th that the number of hospitalized children in New York City has quadrupled since the first report of the Omicron mutation in New York City. It is known that about half of the children hospitalized are under the age of 5, not subject to vaccination.
Previously, New York Governor Kathy Hocal declared a state of emergency, saying the number of confirmed cases could surge this winter due to the delta and micron mutations of COVID-19.
The state of emergency, which took effect on the 3rd, allows state health authorities to restrict non-essential and non-emergency procedures to secure quarantine supplies, increase hospital capacity, and respond to potential manpower shortages.
Meanwhile, data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that vaccination is a strong protective barrier against severe cases of COVID-19. According to CDC data, those who are not vaccinated are five times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 and 14 times more likely to die than those who have been vaccinated.
However, the current vaccination rate for COVID-19 in the U.S. is only 62%.
(Seoul = News 1)
