US coronavirus: As officials prepare for Omicron, US hospitals are still battling severe Delta variant infections

In West Virginia, Governor Jim Justice said Monday only 31.8% of people over 65 in the state have received a raise. Nationally, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 44% of seniors have received a booster shot.

“Those people are exposed beyond belief. We know if they get (Covid-19) they will most likely die,” Justice said, adding that the rise of Covid-19 is there. is causing a great deal of damage” and is “still overloading” the hospital.

“What will happen when winter arrives? What if we actually experience another surge? What will happen to the overcrowding of hospitals?” he say. “The bottom line is this: If you don’t run to the fire right now and get a booster shot, you’re going to have to hear some sad news.”

“If Americans are tired of this and want to do something, because we’re all tired of it, here’s what you can do,” Collins told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “If you haven’t been vaccinated, start tomorrow.”

Omicron test increased

The CDC is expanding surveillance at four major international airports – Atlanta, New York’s JFK, Newark and San Francisco – to track coronavirus variants in travelers, director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday.

Local governments have been working to see if there is any contagion. Florida’s Miami-Dade County will begin random sampling at its testing sites to identify variants, an expansion first explored during the Delta variant surge, according to the mayor’s office. .

While calling for a rapid increase in the tests available to individuals, Admiral Dr. Brett Giroir, a former assistant secretary of health and human services in the United States and director of testing for Covid-19 in the government. Trump administration, on Tuesday said the United States has more weapons to fight against the coronavirus than it did at the start of the pandemic.

“We’re going to war with this virus, and we’ve been fighting it for almost two years,” Giroir told CNN’s Erica Hill. “We had no weapons at first, the only thing we could do was, you know, really reduce social interactions. Now it’s all of the above.

“Vaccines are most important – please, if you haven’t been vaccinated, get vaccinated. Get a booster. We have monoclonal antibodies. We have oral antivirals. We have oral antivirals. tested and we still have mitigation measures like wearing a mask. If you have a high risk of transmission in your home, please wear a mask.”

Omicron research continues

“We believe it’s too early to talk about the severity,” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said during the White House Covid-19 briefing on Tuesday. Tuesday, added that some South African doctors have reported patients they treat with mild illness, but they are treating young people. Covid-19 infections are often more serious for older people.

Talking about how the effectiveness of a vaccine or booster could be against Omicron, Dr Peter Hotez, dean of the National Department of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said it is expected to decrease but the vaccine is still available. can “cross-protect” as seen with earlier variants.

“If there’s a significant drop, that’s one thing,” Hotez told CNN’s Ana Cabrera.

Warning that the unvaccinated will continue to be the most vulnerable to both Delta and Omicron, Hotez said, “I can see a scenario where we have both variants in the country where unvaccinated people are very susceptible to infection and those who become infected and recover can become reinfected with Omicron.”