Data on Omicron infection cases in the United States, and expert thinking!

The surge in the number of coronavirus cases in the United States has caused vigilance, but some experts believe that COVID-19 hospital admissions should be watched
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One of them is Dr.

The ultra-contagious OmiCon variant is raging in the United States, and new COVID-19 cases have more than tripled in the past two weeks, reaching a record 480,000
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At the same time, an average of 12,700 people were hospitalized every day last week, an increase of 46% from the previous week, but far below the peak of 16,500 a day a year ago, when the vast majority of people in the United States were not vaccinated
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Public health experts suspect that the combination of these numbers reflects the continued effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing serious diseases, even for Omicron, and also reflects that this variant will not make most people like the earlier version.
Possibility of getting sick

The U.
S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday that 95% of the new coronavirus infections in the United States last week were caused by Omicron, which once again shows how fast the mutated virus has spread since the mutated virus was first detected in South Africa at the end of November.
amazing

Dr.
Wafaa Sadr, Director of ICAP, Columbia University Global Health Center, said that the current number of cases does not seem to be the most important number.

Instead, she said, at this stage of the influenza pandemic, the United States should “shift our focus, especially in the era of vaccination, to truly focus on preventing disease, disability, and death, and count them accordingly
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During the outbreak, the number of daily cases and their fluctuations has always been one of the most watched barometers, as well as a reliable early warning signal of severe illness and death in the past wave of coronavirus.

The number of daily cases also fluctuates drastically
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Now, the value of the number of daily cases is being questioned like never before

On the one hand, this surge reflects at least to a certain extent that omicron has caused many Americans to flock to be tested before holiday parties, as well as new testing requirements in workplaces, restaurants, theaters, and other venues.

In addition, the actual number of infections may be much higher than the number of cases, because the home test results that Americans are eager to use are not included in official statistics, and because the waiting time is too long, some people are reluctant to queue for swabs.

But at the same time, the number of cases seems to have produced a less useful picture of the pandemic in the spread of Omicro.
Omicro has caused a large number of infections, but its impact so far does not seem to be so severe.
> The case count has lost its correlation.
Sex
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"Hospitalization is the intersection of rubber and roads," Normer said
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Despite this, health experts are not ready to cancel case statistics

Dr.
Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research and Translational Institute, said: “We shouldn’t give up studying the number of cases, but it’s important to admit that we have only seen a portion of the actual number of cases
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Mokdad said the number of cases can point to future hot spots and indicate whether the infection wave has reached its peak.

He said that for those who are susceptible to infection due to age or health reasons, case statistics are still important.
They need to understand the spread of the virus in the community in order to make a decision on preventive measures
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"It is blind to give up knowing whether cases are rising or falling
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As a country, how can we not know the epidemic curve of infection?" Mokdade said

He said that if the test loses its relevance, it is because the United States has never developed a consistent and reliable method to monitor infection.

"It is unacceptable to cover up failure by changing the rules," he said
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