Forch says it’s too early to determine if the Omicron epidemic will help end the Covid-19 pandemic stage, but he has hope | Coronavirus.

It is still premature to predict whether it is in the endemic stage. Coronavirus is easier to manage Dr. Anthony Fauci Covid-19 cases prolong Tuesday was a record high and the associated turmoil continues.

“Omicron is highly contagious, but not as pathogenic as Delta, for example, so I hope it will happen when we talk about whether it will happen,” said the director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. Monday.

“But that’s only true if we don’t have another mutant that circumvents the immune response to the previous mutant,” Fauci told the World Economic Forum’s virtual event, Davos, this week.

A disease Endemic It is always present in the population, but it does not affect a surprising number of people or disrupt society, as is commonly seen in pandemics. Although Omicron is highly contagious, it is less likely to cause as serious a disease as some previous variants, and may indicate a transition to the endemic stage of the disease.

Forch said he was “lucky” that Omicron did not share some of the same features as Delta.

“It’s an open question whether Omicron will be the live virus vaccination that everyone wants, as new variants are so variable,” he said. ..

Early signs suggest that the latest Covid-19 wave in the United States has peaked-or At least flat -In part of the northeast. Nevertheless, the case of Covid-19 remains high due to the high contagiousness of Omicron. The daily average of infections recorded on Monday was just over 680,000. Johns Hopkins University Data, Significantly higher than the peak of last winter’s surge.

Healthcare system-several faces Significant staff shortage -Recently, we are treating more Covid-19 patients than ever before. At least 156,676 people were hospitalized for the virus on Monday in the United States. According to the data From the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Schools are working on a surge in Omicron

As cases and hospitalization spurred Shortage of manpower Several school districts across the country (from Paterson, NJ to Mobile, Alabama) Move to virtual learning this week.

In Texas, all schools and offices in the Houston Independent School District will be closed on Tuesday. This was announced by the school district on its website due to an increase in incidents in the community. Classes will resume on Wednesday.

The school district encouraged students and staff to take “this extra day to reduce potential exposure.”

Meanwhile, the obligation to wear a mask at school has been fired in one new state. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has been newly appointed, citing “individual freedom” and vaccines available to students from kindergarten to high school. Issued a presidential order Parents say they will decide if their child needs to wear a mask in class. This is a deviation from the August public health emergency order of its predecessor to wear a mask at school.

Northern Virginia and several districts of the Richmond Metro area have announced that they will reject their latest orders starting January 24th.

“Our stratified preventive strategies have proven effective in keeping our schools low in infection rates,” said Scott Brabrand, director of Fairfax County Public Schools. I mentioned it in a letter to the community.

According to a statement from Arlington Public School, “The use of universal masks has proven effective in keeping Covid-19 infection rates low in our schools and keeping schools safe and open. I am. “

In addition, an email from Henrico County Public School to parents and guardians states, “The use of masks is an important element of the department’s step-by-step precautions,” while paying attention to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. .. I recommend a mask at school And that federal law requires school buses to mask.

Future vaccine advances will move forward

New vaccines are under development to further anticipate mutants.

Modena should have data on the Omicron-specific Covid-19 vaccine in March, company CEO Stephane Bancel said Monday.

In a panel conversation in Davos, “I should be in the clinic in the coming weeks. I hope that in the March time frame, I will be able to get data to share with regulators and understand the next steps. I have. ” ..

Covid-19 and flu booster combination shots from Modena may be available in some countries by the fall of 2023, according to Bansel, but warned that the target date is the “best scenario”. did.

Vaccine doses continue to be the most effective way to prevent serious Covid-19 complications. This continues to be a factor in the country’s recovery as Americans continue to die from the virus. According to Johns Hopkins data, the average number of deaths last week exceeded 1,600 per day.

Booster doses are a good indication of the ability of a person to raise antibody levels months after the first vaccination and help keep people at higher risk away from the hospital.

Early data from Israel Suggests a fourth dose Either the Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna vaccine can be used to induce an increase in antibody (more than was seen after the third vaccination), but from breakthrough infections that can be caused by Omicron. It may not be enough to protect it yet.

In December, Israel began a fourth dose of coronavirus vaccine for healthy participants prior to deploying additional booster shots to at-risk populations.

“I think the decision to grant a fourth vaccine to vulnerable populations is probably correct,” said Dr. Gili-Regev Yochay, director of the Infection Prevention and Control Unit at the Sheva Medical Center, on Monday. “It may give a little benefit, but I would say it’s probably not enough to support the decision to give it to everyone.”

The-CNN-Wire

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CNN’s Jacqueline Howard, John Bonifield, Virginia Langmaid, Dan Merica, Eva McKend, Ryan Nobles, Livvy Doherty, Carma Hassan and Alex Medeiros contributed to this report.