The White House encourages continued mitigation efforts amid Omicron’s surge

Wednesday’s White House COVID-19 response team reminds Americans that the spread of the Omicron variant needs to be delayed, despite its reduced severity, and is new to keep schools open. We announced our efforts.

As Omicron variants dominate the United States, Dr. Rochelle Warrensky says wearing masks, vaccination, and COVID-19 testing as needed is the best way to reduce viral cases. I emphasized that it is a strategy.

Warrensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the Omicron variant accounts for 98% of the new COVID-19 cases in the United States, and earlier this week the United States set a record for daily infections. I set it to nearly 1.5 million. According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

“All of us must play our part in protecting hospitals and neighbors and reducing the further spread of this virus,” Warensky said.

The White House team also announced that the Biden administration would distribute 10 million tests each month to schools across the country, confirming that they remained open and more than double the amount of tests last year.

The Omicron variant is more infectious, but less severe than the Delta variant and has a lower risk of hospitalization and death.

Citing a recent study comparing the two variants, Walensky said that Omicron infection was associated with a 91% reduction in the risk of death and a 74% reduction in the risk of ICU admission.

She also said that infection with the mutant reduced the risk of symptomatic hospitalization by 53%.

More hospitalization

According to Walensky, the risk of hospitalization remains low, but the number of hospitalizations in the country is increasing due to the “amazing increase in the number of cases.”

Nonetheless, she said, patients infected with Omicron experienced a 71% shorter hospital stay than patients infected with the Delta type.

On average, Omicron patients are expected to stay in the hospital for about 1.5 days and 90% to be discharged within 3 days.

As the surge continued, Warensky reiterated that subspecies cases were expected to peak in the coming weeks. She also said that more than 2,600 people were reported by John Hopkins on Wednesday, increasing the death toll.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top expert in infectious diseases in the United States, said the country cannot eliminate or eradicate COVID-19, but “ultimately controls it.” When the virus becomes endemic, “virtually everyone is exposed and more likely to get infected,” he said.

However, he added, this does not mean that vaccinations and precautions are ineffective or meaningless. Fauci has stated that vaccination and keeping booster shots up-to-date can prevent serious illness.

“If you’re vaccinated and boosted, you’re very unlikely to get sick,” Fauci said.

To help combat the current surge, the White House team emphasized that mitigation efforts, including wearing masks, are still important. Although N95 masks have been shown to be most effective in resisting viral airborne infections, the CDC recommends choosing a mask that suits you for the time being. Than without a mask.

“We want to emphasize that the best mask for you is one that you can comfortably wear,” Walensky said.

Jeffrey D. Jientz, COVID-19 compliant coordinator at the White House, was asked about the discovery of the mask, and the government “strongly considers options to make higher quality masks available to all Americans.” Said.

As for schools, the team said vaccination and other mitigation efforts were key to keeping students in the classroom, along with more tests.

Walensky said the currently available pediatric vaccines should allow schools to continue to operate as planned. She also reminded reporters that 99% of schools remained open in the fall during the delta-type surge.

“One of the best things we can do is to vaccinate our children and teens,” she said.