The new Omicron coronavirus variant has recently become the most dominating variant in the United States, accounting for roughly 73% of new infections last week, said federal health officials on Monday, as they recommended Moderna vaccine's booster as being effective against the new variant.
Officials from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data that showed a near-six-fold increase in the number of infections related to the Omicron variant in just one week. Despite the massive surge in new cases, the Omicron is still only a small percentage of all infections in the U.S.
Omicron Variant Spread
The CDC previously reported that in the week ending on Dec. 11, the number of new infections related to the Omicron variant increased to 2.9%, a massive jump from only 0.4% the week before. However, after officials analyzed more specimens, the CDC said they would be revising some of the earlier numbers.
The new data showed that roughly 13% of new infections in the week ending on Dec. 11 were found to be the Omicron variant, and not the nearly 3% previously reported. The new variant is also seen in more prevalence in many other regions in the United States, USA Today reported.
In New York, the Southeast, the Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest, authorities found that the Omicron variant is responsible for roughly 90% of new cases. Based on the national rate, it could be seen that there were more than 650,000 infections related to the new variant last week in the country.
Officials noted that the Delta variant was the most dominating coronavirus variant causing massive infections since the end of June. The CDC released data that showed the Delta variant was responsible for more than 99.5% of new infections as recently as the end of November.
In a statement, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky noted that the new data reflected the kind of growth that officials observed in other countries. She said that while the numbers were stark, they were not much of a surprise to health officials, Yahoo News reported.
First Death
The situation comes as Texas has confirmed its first known Omicron-related death in the United States. The news was announced on Monday by County Judge Lina Hidalgo who said that the victim was a man in his 50s. However, the official did not reveal additional information regarding the incident.
Additionally, United States President Joe Biden was in close contact with a member of the White House staff who later tested positive for the coronavirus infection on Monday. The White House described the individual as a "mid-level staffer" who experienced symptoms on Sunday.
The White House said that the Democratic president tested negative on a PCR test on Monday and is scheduled to be tested again on Wednesday. In a statement, officials said that as CDC guidance did not require fully vaccinated people to quarantine after an exposure, Biden will continue with his daily schedule.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday told reporters that breakthrough cases of the coronavirus were expected. The official made the remarks after she was questioned about whether or not there had been recent outbreaks of the virus at agencies within the administration or inside the White House, CNN reported.
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