As per the reports, the US has reported over half a million cases of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus in a single day on Monday. This tally is worse than most cases of Covid-19 reported in a single day during the whole pandemic. Previously, the most cases of Covid-19 reported in a single day was 303,000 according to the USA Today data analysis of John Hopkins University.
One of the reasons for this sudden surge is reportedly backlogged cases that were active during the Christmas holidays. However, this also shows how rapidly spreading and contagious the Omicron virus is.
Well, not only the US is going through a spike in cases, but as of Monday, the global tally sits at 5.9 million Omicron cases as per the reports. The last highest number of cases globally was recorded in April, which was 5.79 million.
This news about the spike of 500,000 cases of the Omicron virus in the US comes shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shortened the quarantine time that it previously recommended to the active cases, and or someone who has come in contact with the ones who has tested positive for the virus.
Rochelle Walensky, the director at CDC, stated that the changes in the quarantine time have been made to “make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.”
Moreover, Walensky further added, “Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact, many are going to be asymptomatic.”
The spike in the cases has caused shortages of staff in various industries including medical, airlines, etc. Moreover, according to the research, the Omicron variant may be fast-spreading but it will not require the kind of hospitalization or medical care that other Covid-19 variants did.
