Omicron hasn’t peaked nationwide, and ‘the next few weeks will be tough,’ US surgeon
“There are parts of the country — New York, in particular, and other parts of the Northeast — where we are starting to see a plateau, and in some cases, an early decline in cases,” Murthy told CNN on Sunday.
“The challenge is that the entire country is not moving at the same pace,” he said. “The Omicron wave started later in other parts of the country, so we shouldn’t expect a national peak in the next coming days. The next few weeks will be tough.”
An average of more than 750,000 new Covid-19 infections were reported every day over the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The number of Americans dying every day from Covid-19 has increased in recent days, with 1,796 Covid-19 deaths reported Sunday, according to JHU data.
“I expect those numbers to get substantially higher,” Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told Fox News on Sunday.
“The problem is we are running out of health care workforce, we don’t have the staffing. So that is going to be a challenge for many weeks ahead.”
Trying to keep schools open with more safety
Chicago Public Schools resumed in-person teaching last week after pledging to increase Covid-19 testing as well as provide higher-quality KN95 masks.
Beware of Covid-19 testing scams, state officials warn
Yet the current lack of testing availability in some areas has led to scammers taking advantage of those in need.
Attorneys general in Oregon, New Mexico and Illinois warned consumers of “pop-up” Covid-19 testing sites that might give false results or skim personal information.
Researcher: ‘Ending isolation at day 5 should include a negative rapid antigen test’
Current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people infected with Covid-19 can end isolation after five days if they don’t have symptoms, and that they should wear a mask around others for at least five more days.
Researchers looked at 10,324 Covid-19 test results from 537 NBA players and others affiliated with the league, finding 97 confirmed and suspected Omicron cases.
Among 27 people who tested positive one or fewer days after a previous negative test, 52% were still assumed infectious five days after their infection was detected, the study found.
And among 70 people who tested positive two or more days after a previous negative test, 39% were still assumed infectious five days after their infection was detected.
CNN’s John Bonifield, Eva McKend, Ryan Nobles, Laura Ly, Artemis Moshtaghian, Niah Humphrey and Meagon Whitehead contributed to this report.
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