Xinhua
People wait for COVID-19 testing in the Queens borough of New York on December 29, 2021.
The United States set a global record ofalmost 1 million new coronavirus infections reported on Monday,according to a Reuters tally, nearly double the country's peakhit just a week ago as the highly contagious Omicron variantshows no sign of slowing.
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has risennearly 50 percent in the last week and now exceeds 100,000, a Reutersanalysis showed, the first time that threshold has been reachedsince the winter surge a year ago.
Overall, the United States hasseen a daily average of 486,000 cases over the last week, a ratethat has doubled in seven days and far outstrips that of anyother country. The 978,856 newinfections on Monday includes some cases from Saturday andSunday, when many states do not report.
The average number of US COVID-19 deaths per day hasremained fairly steady throughout December and into earlyJanuary at about 1,300, according to a Reuters tally, thoughdeaths typically lag behind cases and hospitalizations.
Omicron appears to be far more easily transmitted thanprevious iterations of the virus. The variant was estimated toaccount for 95.4 percent of the coronavirus cases identified in theUnited States as of January 1, the US Centers for Disease Controland Prevention said on Tuesday.
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that evidence thus far suggests Omicron is causing less severeillness. Nevertheless, public health officials have warned thatthe sheer volume of Omicron cases threatens to overwhelmhospitals, some of which are already struggling to handle a waveof COVID-19 patients, primarily among the unvaccinated.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a 30-day state ofemergency on Tuesday and mobilized 1,000 National Guard membersto pandemic response operations as COVID-19 hospitalizations inthe state hit a record high of more than 3,000. That is anincrease of more than 500 percent in the last seven weeks, Hogan said.
"The truth is that the next four to six weeks will be themost challenging time of the entire pandemic," Hogan toldreporters. "Our newest projections as of today show that COVIDhospitalizations could reach more than 5,000, which would bemore than 250 percent higher than our previous peak of 1,952 lastyear."
Delaware, Illinois, Ohio and Washington DC also havereported record numbers of hospitalized COVID patients in recentdays.
'Unlike anything we've seen'
In Kentucky, where Tuesday's total of 6,915 new cases isthe highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic,Governor Andy Beshear urged residents to get vaccinated and wearmasks.
"Omicron is causing a surge unlike anything we've seen andat this rate our hospitals will fill up," he wrote on Twitter.
The unrelenting surge has prompted more than 3,200 schoolsto close their buildings this week, according to Burbio, a sitethat tracks school disruptions. Schools that have remained openare facing staff shortages and renewed concerns about virusspread.
In Boston, where more than 54,000 students returned to classon Tuesday following the holiday break, Superintendent ofSchools Brenda Cassellius told reporters there were 1,000 staffmembers out, including 461 teachers and 52 bus drivers.
"It does make for a difficult start to the day," she said.
In Chicago, the teachers union objected to Monday's returnto schools, saying the district needs stricter protocols such asrequired testing. Teachers were expected to vote on Tuesday onwhether they support working remotely starting on Wednesday.
More than 325,000 COVID-19 cases among children werereported in the United States for the week ending December 30,according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and theChildren's Hospital Association, a new high and almost doublethe count from the previous two weeks.
The Biden administration is finalizing contracts for 500million rapid coronavirus tests it plans to distribute for freeto Americans, the White House said on Tuesday.The initiative is intended to help alleviate a testing crunchthat has led to inadequate supplies and long lines in manyplaces.
In addition, the administration doubled its order of Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 antiviral pills to a total of20 million treatment courses.
Government health officials have emphasized that vaccinesand boosters remain the best way to avoid serious illness.
原文地址：http://english.sina.com/world/2022-01-05/detail-ikyakumx8399028.shtml