The President Joe Biden assured vaccinated Americans that they could enjoy Christmas safe, and insisted that we don’t go back to March 2020. He also slowed down his attack on those who aren’t vaccinated when he revealed his plans to combat the Omicron epidemic.
The battle plan included sending 1,000 troops into overwhelmed hospitals to deliver 500 million medical tests to American families. This was in the midst of a national shortage. Also, lines were forming at testing centres.
Biden declared that “if you’re still not fully vaccinated then you can be very concerned.” There are studies showing Omicron is almost completely ineffective against the unvaccinated.
He added that “This is not March 2020,” and cited the fact that 61.5% are currently vaccinated. We are also better prepared.
In the State Dining Room of The White House, President Joe Biden discusses the Omicron Coronavirus. December 21st, 2021, Washington, DC
He once again pleaded with the unvaccinated to get their shots – but without some of his harshest recent comments, where he said ‘sickness and death’ awaits.
‘You have an obligation to yourselves, to your family and quite frankly, I know I’ll get criticized for this, to your country,’ Biden said.
“Please be vaccinated. It’s the only responsible thing to do,’ he said.
Omicron was a serious, potentially fatal business for people who are not vaccinated.
He called it people’s ‘patriotic duty’ – while also urging Americans to get booster shots six months after their second vaccine shot. He said, “I had my booster shot as soon I could.”
Trump himself was even acknowledged by Trump. He said that Trump got his own booster shot.
Biden jokingly said, “It might be one of few things that he and me agree on.”
Biden also acknowledged it can be hard to get an appointment for covid testing – coughing into his hand as he made the point, as well as at another point during his remarks.
With yet another boost, he spoke of Americans’ frustration. ‘We’ll get through this,’ he said from the State Dining Room of the White House.
Monday’s announcement by the White House stated that Biden was in contact with an aide, who tested positive. Biden spent approximately 30 minutes talking with this mid-level official.
Biden failed Monday’s PCR test and was told Tuesday by Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary.
Monday’s data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Monday showed that the most infectious variant of Covid now makes up 73 per cent of all U.S. cases. Also, the agency revised the data from last week and increased the percentage of this variant’s share from 2.9 to 12.6 percent. The variant’s prevalence has increased sixfold week-over-week. This variant is now the most popular in the country, surpassing the Delta strain which was the nation’s predominant strain since July.
The Omicron variant accounts for over 90 percent of all new cases in New York, New Jersey, New York, New Jersey, New York, New Jersey, the Southeast and Gulf Coasts, as well as the Northwest.
Omicron prevalence is lower in some regions, but the variant has spread quickly enough to be seen throughout the country. Officials expect the variant will become the dominant one within weeks.
America reported the first death confirmed from this variant Monday night when a Texas resident between the ages of 50-60 succumbed.
The number of cases overall in the U.S. has also increased, largely due to the new strain. Johns Hopkins University reports 253,954 cases of the new strain on Monday. This number is higher than the September 7, peak of Delta wave, which was also the most recent. It’s the third eclipse of 250,000 cases per day since January.
There are currently an average of 143,164 new cases per day in the United States. This number is likely to rise if Monday’s record-breaking case count becomes normal. In the past week, new cases have increased 20 percent.
America is still experiencing 1,299 daily deaths. This steady rate for two weeks has led to death rates stabilizing. The number of Americans admitted to hospital for serious infections has increased by 14 percent, reaching 68.970 Americans each day. This is a 14% increase on two weeks ago.
As President Joe Biden announced his plans to combat the Omicron epidemic over winter, he assured vaccinated Americans that they could enjoy Christmas safe. He also insisted that we don’t go back to March 2020.
Omicron, a purple variant of Covid is the predominant strain. It accounted for 73% last week. The Omicron variant (purple) has overtaken the Delta variant, which was dominant since July
Before the Christmas rush, car owners lined up to test their vehicles at Sterling, Virginia’s testing facility.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert who serves as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Tuesday that the rapid spread of this variant is something he has not often seen.
This is an unprecedented rate of virus spreading around the world. It’s really quite unusual. According to him, it’s an unusual doubling time that is two to three times faster than two days. Good Morning America.
“This is truly astonishing in terms of the speed at which viruses spread.”
The cases have generally been much milder than those of other variants. This is an encouraging sign but Fauci warns against the possibility of more severe cases.
The idea of it spreading quickly even though in reality it’s less severe is what we see from South African data. There appears to be a lower ratio between hospitalizations and cases, as well as a shorter stay at the hospital. This could indicate that it may not be so severe. “We hope this’s true, and we expect that it will become our experience as the situation evolves in America,” he stated.
“Even though it might be, the sheer number of infections and their efficiency in spreading may actually reduce the severity of the disease to the extent that significant illness can still occur. We cannot take this lightly.
While the U.S. trend is in the wrong direction, things in the UK are stabilizing. This nation saw a huge rise in the number of cases due to the variant. London was a hotspot in the world. The number of daily infections has remained stable since last week which is a sign that this variant may be already burning out.
Some British experts in health are still worried about the worst. They believe that the number of daily new cases could rise from around 91,743 per day to approximately 460,000 by the end. Neil Ferguson and others are calling for the closure of certain areas in order to prevent the spread.
The holiday season is in full swing and this situation is rapidly escalating in America. This Saturday is Christmas, so millions will be traveling across the country to attend large gatherings of family and friends.
Fauci thinks holiday travel and other festivities are still safe, as long as one is properly vaccinated. He also recommends that people take precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
He stated, “If your child is vaccinated or particularly boosted and you will be participating in indoor social interaction with relatives and family members, then you may feel more comfortable,”
After the report of 18,000 Omicron cases in the state’s last two days, Floridians gathered in Hialeah to get in their vehicles
New Yorkers living far from their families line up to take the COVID test in Manhattan before the holiday season.
People who have not been vaccinated and caught Delta are almost completely unprotected against Omicron. However, vaccine booster immunity is available
According to a laboratory study, people unjabbed who had previously received the Delta Covid variant could have little protection from Omicron infection.
Austrian scientists measured antibody levels in blood samples from people who were able to beat the super-variant of the virus. Only one of seven tested samples had enough antibodies to kill Omicron.
It suggests that prior infection alone offers virtually no protection against catching Omicron — but the jury’s still out on severe illness.
Overall, five Covid-infected individuals with a history of both Covid and subsequent vaccinations were the most successful. This group was referred to as the’superimmune’.
Antibody studies focus on a very narrow part of the immune reaction to Covid. They do not include T cell or B cell immunity which, while vital in protecting against serious disease, are more difficult to quantify.
Scientists believe that people with Covid may still be protected from serious consequences, although immunity has been shown to decrease significantly over the following six months.
This graph shows how blood samples taken from patients who received vaccines, and had previously survived a Delta infection, performed in the presence of Omicron. The data is called IC50 and it measures effectiveness. If a combination fails to reach IC50 16, it is unlikely that enough antibodies will be produced to fight Omicron. These are the averages of all samples from their respective combinations. The results show that an earlier Delta infection did not offer any protection for antibody production. A combination of Covid infections and vaccines produced the most effective response.
This chart on the right shows how antibodies from Delta (variant designation B.1.617.2) performed against different Covid variants, from left to right Alpha (B.1.1.7) Beta (B.1.351), Delta, and Omicron (B.1.1.529). The antibodies could effectively fight the virus if the IC50 was higher than 16. The chart to the right displays the results for “super-immune” individuals. The bars to the left depict individuals that were jabbed against Delta or Omicron. And the bars at the right represent those who were vaccinated, but later infected.
These charts display the performance of two doses Moderna’s vaccine. The right graph shows how AstraZeneca performed with two doses. The numbers at the top of the graphs indicate the number of samples that exceeded the IC50 threshold.
The chart on the right shows how one dose of AstraZeneca and Pfizer performed and the right two doses of the Pfizer jab
Many of these travels would have been completely safe before Omicron arrived. According to CDC data 73 percent have had at least one shot with the Covid vaccine. 61.5 percent have been fully vaccinated. Early data suggests that there are insufficient vaccines to prevent the spread of the new strain.
Early data shows the initial two-shot regimens of the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines – or one shot of the J&J vaccine – do little to prevent infection from the variant, though the two former may be able to prevent hospitalization or death.
Research has shown that the Moderna and Pfizer booster shots re-establish some protection. Health officials now urge Americans to obtain their extra shot.
CNBC’s Shepard Smith was informed by Dr Rochelle Walensky (director of the CDC) that there is still some debate about the definition of a ‘fully vaccinated’ based upon new data from the variant.
“We are currently examining the definition, but I just want to make it very clear that CDC recommendations now state that anyone over 18 years old, when they become eligible, should have their booster shot,” she stated.
Walensky added that CDC data showed that a person fully vaccinated with boosters is 20x less likely to be afflicted by Covid than if he or she is not.
Additionally, she warns people that current two dose vaccines will not prevent them from contracting the strain. Even though the infection can be mild for most people, particularly those who have been vaccinated, it is possible to develop ‘long Covid’ or other complications from the virus.
Fauci encourages the unvaccinated people to have shots in order to stop the spread of the virus and prevent future outbreaks. The White House issued a dire warning last week to people who were not vaccinated.
“We can stop it by getting more people vaccinated. We still have 50 million eligible people who need to get vaccinated in the country. [gotten]Fauci stated that he was vaccinated.
‘[Covid]We will not stop until the vast majority of people are vaccinated.
“When those who aren’t vaccinated don’t have to get it. This virus will eventually find them. They will contract the disease and suffer severe illness. Some will even die.
Americans are also experiencing testing shortages. Retailers have struggled to keep tests in stock due to an increase in test demand ahead of holidays. New York’s public testing areas have seen long lines.
South Africa was the first to detect the variant. Covid’s symptoms are beginning to diminish in that country, which could indicate that Omicron-fueled Omicron outbreaks have been stalled for a few months.
National average daily Covid case count has fallen to 19,400, which is a 17% decrease from the 23,437 peak last week. It is still much higher than the number reported by the country a month ago but it indicates that this variant may be burning out.
However, hospitalizations are falling. In fact, eleven times as many South Africans now have Covid than during the Delta surge in summer. This is a good sign that there’s hope for the future, even though the U.S. continues to struggle with the virus.
South Africa saw 6,887 Covid hospitalizations in the last week. This is a decline from the 7,433 that was recorded one week ago.
Denmark is now only behind the UK with Omicron-related cases. There were 23,038 confirmed cases as of Tuesday morning. This was the first Omicron-related outbreak in the Nordic country. The situation has only gotten worse since.
One hundred students from Viborg High School attended the Christmas Luncheon on November 27th. This event was connected to 70 cases. However, all the cases were mild.
The nation currently has an average of 8,984 new Covid cases per day. This is the highest single-day Covid total, with 9,999 added cases on Thursday.