Omicron waves gain momentum when delta spikes occur in parts of the United States

We are preparing a vaccine this time. This time we have a booster shot. This time around, there are new treatments and methods that have been tested in the previous wave. This time, everyone knows non-pharmaceutical mitigation methods such as hand hygiene, social distance, and masking.

It’s all important, according to medical experts. Still, the US healthcare system faces yet another unprecedented challenge. According to many experts, Omicron appears to be the predominant mutant, and many of the U.S. population lack proper protection and are increasingly seen to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine three times. increase. Also, mortality may not be as high as the previous spike in COVID-19, but the hospital system is burdened not only by COVID-19 patients, but by all non-COVID infected patients in need. There is a possibility.

No matter how this is done, Infection Control Officers (IPs) believe they are in the midst of a surge again.

Members of Rebecca Leach, MPH, BSN, RN, CIC, Infection control today^®of(ICT^®“At this point, the preparations that infection prophylaxis needs to make are about the resilience and support of clinical staff who are tired and already over the limits,” said the editorial advisory board (EAB). I am.

Heather Saunders, MPH, RN, and CIC are Heads of Infection Control at the Johns Hopkins Department of Population and Health. ICT^®EAB. “The mortality rate may not be as high as the previous COVID-19 surge, but the hospital system is burdened not only by COVID-19 patients, but by all non-COVID-infected patients in need of care,” Saunders said. That could happen. ” She adds: “U.S. influenza activity remains low, but a slight steady increase in cases is beginning to be detected in many parts of the country. A relatively typical influenza season, or at least more than last year. If so, the increased number of influenza cases combined with the highly infectious COVID-19 variant does not signal the hospital’s capacity. “

And the delta variant hasn’t been done with us yet. Yesterday, 1260 people died of COVID-19 in the United States. Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.. There were 117,363 COVID-19 infections yesterday.

Experts emphasize that there is still much we do not know about the variant, even when Omicron overthrows Europe, even in countries where the majority of the population is vaccinated.Early data suggests that it is not fatal As a delta variant..

However Kevin Kavanagh, MD, another ICT^® EAB member, in a recent article articleSo far, only a small proportion of Omicron variants in COVID-19 cases may require hospitalization, but high infectivity can change this small percentage to a large number of patients, It puts more stress on the medical system.

Warn experts about what is happening in the UK, where about 70% of the population is vaccinated.Investigators there found it Omicron is 3.2 times More likely to cause home infections than Delta. The person who catches Omicron can infect another 2-4 people.

Therefore, Omicron appears to grow exponentially. Eric Topol, MD, Founder and Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, I have written In yesterday’s substack, “Omicron’s rapid growth is particularly alarming, doubling in a few days in several countries being tracked (South Africa, UK, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, USA). This exponential rise makes us Even 1 million cases per day in the United States It would have been considered an unthinkable prediction before. “

What happened in Europe is not limited to Europe, as it happened in the previous iteration of COVID-19. It immigrates to the United States. Dr. Jeffrey Barrett is the director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute’s Genomics Initiative, tracking British variants.A week later, “says Barrett. NPR..

Matt Ferrari, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics and professor of biology at Pennsylvania State University, told NPR: Throughout the pandemic, we know how terrible it will be. “

The extent to which the COVID-19 vaccine provides protection against Omicron is also being investigated. A Report The Statens Serum Institute in Denmark announced yesterday that three-quarters of Omicron cases occur in fully vaccinated people. On the other hand, 9% of people who receive booster shots are infected with Omicron.

About 80% of Denmark’s population is vaccinated.

In the United States, almost 61% of the population is fully vaccinated, but only one in four adults has received a booster shot. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.. Omicron has been found in about 25 states in the United States, but collecting data on COVID-19 cases can be time consuming.Michael Osterholm, Director, Center for Infectious Diseases Research Policy, University of Minnesota To tell “Frankly, we don’t have enough reliable and robust data at this time to give a clear direction on what this will be in the weeks or months ahead,” Axios said.

Experts know that vaccination, boost immunization, and previous infections provide some protection against Omicron. One of the many known unknowns about Omicron includes whether it can exacerbate long COVID-19.

Meanwhile, IP needs to be rested and recharged if possible, said Lisa Waldowski, DNP, RN and CIC, regional directors of infection prevention and control at Kaiser Permanente. “Along this pandemic marathon, it’s time to take COVID-19 prevention efforts (complete vaccination status, mask-up, social distance, frequent hand hygiene) and stretch and refresh mentally and physically. is.”