Omicron spreads to 21 states but may be less severe

Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

A little more than a week after Omicron was first detected in the United States and two years after the first coronavirus case was reported in China, 21 states have confirmed cases of the new COVID-19 variant.

This variant may be less severe, according to the World Health Organization and Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"It's too early to be able to determine the precise severity of disease," Fauci said during a White House briefing Tuesday. Current information is anecdotal, with a clearer picture expected in a few weeks, he said.

"But it appears that with the cases that are seen, we are not seeing a very severe profile of disease," Fauci said. "In fact, it might, I underscore might, be less severe as shown by the ratio of hospitalizations per number of new cases."

The average hospital stay is 2.8 days versus 8.5 days in South Africa, according to Fauci. The low hospitalizations could also be explained by the fact that it is younger people who are getting infected.

Data about the effectiveness of the vaccines on the variant could start to be ready by the middle of next week, according to The Hill.

Booster shots are needed to neutralize the Omicron variant, according to a statement released by Pfizer. An initial laboratory study demonstrated that antibodies induced by the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine neutralize the Omicron variant after three doses, the company said. 

WHY THIS MATTERS

Health systems and hospitals are again facing increased hospitalizations due to the COVID-19 Delta variant. Should Omicron prove less severe, it would mean fewer hospitalizations due to the latest variant.

Some health systems, such as the Cleveland Clinic, are postponing surgeries due to the spike in COVID-19 cases, turning the clock back to the height of the pandemic when many facilities placed a freeze on elective procedures.

THE LARGER TREND

Twenty-one states have confirmed cases of the Omicron variant, according to ABCNews.

The rise in the number of Omicron cases nationwide has been expected since the United States confirmed its first case Dec. 1, from a vaccinated traveler who returned to California after a trip to South Africa, according to NBC5Chicago.

On Dec. 2, Minnesota reported a case from a resident who had traveled to New York City and attended the Anime NYC 2021 convention from Nov. 19-21 at the Javits Center, the report said.

The current seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases is nearly 104,000 per day, and the seven-day average of hospitalizations is about 6,800 per day, according to Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The seven-day average of deaths is about 1,100 per day.

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com