Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, December 21. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on the 20th that infections with the mutant new coronavirus Omi Kiron strain accounted for approximately 73% of the newly confirmed cases in the United States last week.
On the same day, Harris County, Texas, reported the first death of Omi Keron. According to the American media, this is the first death case reported in the United States related to the Omi Keron strain.
On December 20, a street actor performed next to a temporary nucleic acid testing spot in Times Square, New York, USA. The new crown epidemic model data published on the website of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the same day showed that Omi Keron had replaced the Delta strain as the main epidemic strain in the United States. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Ying)
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that as of the past week on the 18th, genetic sequencing data showed that confirmed cases of Omi Kiron strain accounted for approximately 73% of the newly confirmed cases in the United States. This ratio has risen nearly 6 times from the previous week.
Based on this infection rate, more than 650,000 people in the United States were infected with the Omi Keron strain in the past week.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that since the end of June, the Delta strain has become the mainstream strain in the United States. At the end of November, more than 99.5% of new confirmed cases of new crowns in the United States were infected with the Delta strain.
Rochelle Volensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the growth trend of Ome Keron cases in the United States is similar to that of other countries. “These numbers are harsh, but not surprising.”
On November 26, the World Health Organization listed the new strain reported in South Africa as a “mutant strain requiring attention” and named it Omi Keron. This organization notified on the 18th that 89 countries and regions around the world have reported cases of Ome Keron infection.
On December 14, in New York, USA, staff sent a patient to the hospital. (Posted by Xinhua News Agency, photo by Guo Ke)
On the day the CDC released the data, Harris County, Texas, USA, reported the death of a man infected with the Omi Keron strain.
Harris County Judge Lena Hidalgo wrote on social media that the man was in his 50s and had not been vaccinated against the new crown.
ABC said that this is believed to be the first death case reported in the United States related to the Omi Keron strain.
Harris County is also the region where the new strain was first discovered in the United States. On December 6, it was notified of the discovery of Ome Keron-infected patients.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that in some areas of the northeastern, midwest, and northwestern United States, Ome Keron infected people accounted for more than 90% of the newly confirmed cases.
With the rapid spread of the Omi Keron strain in the northeastern United States, the number of confirmed cases of the new crown in New York City has surged by 60% in the past week, setting the record of newly confirmed cases in a single day since the outbreak for three consecutive days.
On December 20, a girl took pictures in front of holiday decorations on the streets of New York, USA. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Ying)
The Christmas and New Year holidays are approaching, and the number of new confirmed cases and deaths in the United States remains high. Some public health experts worry that the number of confirmed cases may explode after the holiday, and the government’s response to the epidemic is far from enough.
Some public health experts believe that the U.S. government’s anti-epidemic strategy only focuses on vaccination and ignores other measures, including calling on the public to wear masks, setting up more COVID-19 testing sites, sharing COVID-19 vaccine technology with other countries, and ensuring greater coverage. Sufficient anti-epidemic funds, etc.
The White House promised to provide more free new coronavirus testing opportunities and promote enhanced injections. US President Joseph Biden is scheduled to give a televised speech on the 21st, announcing the government’s new measures to deal with the Ome Keron strain. It is expected to include calls for people who have not been vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible, and those who have already been vaccinated to get booster shots as soon as possible.
Greg Gonçalves, associate professor of epidemiology at Yale University, said that in the current emergency situation, Biden “should be on TV tonight and tell people: ‘I hope everyone wears a mask’”.
The former director of the CDC, Tom Frieden, said that the government needs to promote the use of masks. It may help to distribute masks and provide certain subsidies. He said that masks and vaccines are currently the two most important epidemic prevention tools, but the market is chaotic in many places. People cannot be sure of the quality of masks and cannot buy masks at normal prices.
Post time: Dec-22-2021