Scientists attempts to assess the threat posed by Omicron

Even as researchers try to figure out more about the omicron form and the harm it poses, one thing is certain: it spreads swiftly wherever it goes.

Omicron spread twice as fast in South Africa as the highly infectious delta form. Officials in the United Kingdom believe that 200,000 people get infected with omicron per day. Omicron instances in Denmark are almost doubling every two days.

Early indications from the US show that Americans will not be spared. ‘Omicron will affect every corner of the country,’ said Shweta Bansal, a disease ecologist at Georgetown University.

Delta is still the most common variation in the United States, and it was responsible for an increase in cases and hospitalizations even before omicron was discovered.

Every day, approximately 120,000 new COVID-19 cases are reported, a 40 percent increase from two weeks ago, albeit the numbers remain below last winter’s peak.

Scientists believe that omicron may eventually supersede delta. According to forecasts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the share of cases caused by omicron has climbed to 2.9 percent from 0.4 percent in just a week, and is much higher in some parts of the country.

In a few of days, researchers at one University of Washington lab reported that the percentage of viral samples that appeared to possess omicron’s telltale pattern of mutations increased from 3% to 20%.

The test positivity rate in New York City has doubled in three days, according to a mayor’s adviser, although officials aren’t sure how many of those illnesses were caused by omicron.