US Coronavirus: It is not yet clear whether Omicron is a milder variant.But its rapid spread will overwhelm hospitals, experts say.

Dr. Peter Hotez, a professor and dean of tropical medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN’s Jim Acosta on Saturday that “many healthcare workers will get sick,” with the new surge. He pointed out the possibility of a breakthrough. Infection.

“They won’t get seriously ill, but they’ll be knocked out of health care workers,” he said. “And it will present yet another major stressor to the system.”

According to Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, it is still premature to think that Omicron causes mild illness.

Data from a two-week case in South Africa seemed to indicate that Omicron was less severe. The CDC surveyed 43 cases last week and said most of them had mild symptoms. Most were vaccinated and about one-third of all groups were boosted.

However, British epidemiologists said this week that they found no evidence that Omicron was causing a mild illness, but the Imperial College London team also said there wasn’t much data yet.

However, “it is clear that Omicron is a highly contagious variant that doubles every 2-4 days,” Collins said.

“Of course, the question is whether this is highly infectious-and we may see hundreds of thousands of cases daily, perhaps even one million cases a day from Omicron. -Even if it’s not a bit serious, you’re going to have a lot of people in the hospital, and our hospital is already really widespread on Delta Air Lines, especially in the northern part of the country, “Collins said. Told.

“But what we want is to have as many people as possible to limit our outcomes and to protect ourselves with vaccines, especially boosters,” he said.

The hospital is already feeling the impact

Overall, on Friday, the United States had an average of 121,707 new Covid-19 cases each day, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. Data show that 14 states saw an increase of at least 10% in the past week’s case compared to the previous week.

California health officials said Friday that hospitalizations were on the rise, emphasizing the need for vaccinations and additional vaccines. In New York, officials said they were seeing the highest hospitalization rates recorded in a few months, and Governor Kathy Hokul noted that staff shortages weighed on potential new restrictions.

According to the Governor’s Office, New York has set a new record for the highest number of Covid-19 infections in a day since the pandemic broke out for two consecutive days, surpassing 21,900. Despite the high number of cases, state data showed relatively few hospitalizations on Saturday, with approximately 3,909 hospitalized for the virus.

In New Jersey, “People are sick, so there are long lines outside the test clinic and there is a need for testing for months,” said President and CEO of Newark University Hospital. Dr. Sherief Ernahar, CEO, said. , Told CNN’s Amara Walker.

Hospitalizations have doubled in the last two weeks, and 46% of patients admitted earlier this week were vaccinated but not boosted, he said.

Not only do people need to be vaccinated, they also need boosters, Elhahal said. “Because what we see is not sustainable.”

Dr. Rob Davidson, a doctor in the emergency room in Michigan, said he was seeing “a fairly significant delta surge now.” And although he sees a slight drop in test positive rates, Covid-19 patients have been hospitalized for extended periods of time.

“We are still struggling,” he said. “So if Omicron could postpone it for a few weeks and take a breath, we would certainly be grateful for it.”

Dr. Mark Gorelick, who heads the Minnesota Children’s Hospital, said the facility is already struggling to deal with numbers.

“When faced with a surge that has already reached 90% and 95% capacity, the arrival of these extra … preventable Covid patients is putting the system at stake. Is our purpose. We are looking here in Minnesota. ”

In Oregon, authorities predict it will be tough in early 2022.

Dr. Peter Graven, Data Scientist at Oregon Health & Science University, said: “Combined with its high contagiousness, Omicron expects to significantly increase the number of Oregon people who are likely to become seriously ill and need a hospital.”

Restrictions and cancellations are prompt returns

Health officials have emphasized the importance of booster shots as anxiety about Omicron grows. With all three doses, people are “very well protected from serious illness,” said Reiner, a medical analyst at CNN.

“Most people have mild symptoms or even asymptomatic symptoms when they encounter a breakthrough infection,” he said. “It’s not perfect to prevent infection, it’s very good to prevent severe illness. It’s a takeaway message for everyone: boost.”

As the number of incidents increased, school officials and event organizers across the country, especially in the northeast, began to reinstate restrictions or cancel events altogether.

Harvard University announced on Saturday that it will move to some distance learning in response to the surge in COVID-19 cases locally and nationwide and the increasing presence of highly contagious Omicron variants. It became one of. “”

Prince Georges County Public Schools in Maryland began December 20 as “the number of cases of COVID-19 surged across (their) school systems,” according to a Friday statement from the school district’s chief executive officer. We will move to distance learning until January 18th. Monica Goldson.

The University of Maryland has canceled the winter graduation ceremony and said that all social gatherings on campus where masking cannot be strictly enforced should follow. The final exam will be conducted directly, but students and faculty members must wear KN95 rated masks provided by the university.

Both Michigan State University and Hofstra University in New York said on Friday that students and staff need to have booster shots for the start of the spring semester.

In Hawaii, a ceremony scheduled to celebrate the end of the National Guard’s Covid-19 Joint Task Force was canceled, and the Governor’s Office said the Task Force would be rebuilt for Omicron.