On December 1, health authorities in the United States reported the first corona infection with the omikron variant. Two weeks ago, the CDC, the American RIVM, stated that one percent of the infections involved the omikron variant. Last week it was 13 percent.
Delta variant to background
The CDC now estimates that 73 percent of all corona infections involve omikron, the variant that was first identified in South Africa. According to scientists in the US, the delta variant of the coronavirus is currently ‘only’ good for 26 percent of the infections.
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The omikron variant of the coronavirus is two to three times more contagious than the delta variant. Due to the many mutations, current vaccines provide less protection against the variant. Whether the omikron variant is also more pathogenic than its predecessors remains to be seen, according to scientists, more research is needed. Initial studies show that the variant possibly less sickening is.
‘Spicy winter’
The CDC therefore reports that omikron is now the dominant variant in the United States, but also sees a large difference between the different states. In the northwestern states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, for example, 96 percent of the infections now involve the omikron variant.
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The well-known American virologist Anthony Fauci warned this weekend in a TV interview before a spicy winter in the US by omikron. “If things go on as we think now, our hospitals will be under very high pressure in two weeks,” Fauci told NBC News. He emphasized that the variant, which he says is extremely contagious, is “raging around the world.”
US not locked
US President Joe Biden will give a speech tomorrow, in which he will probably (again) call on the people of his country to get vaccinated. Biden has no plans to lock down the country, a spokesman said. However, the president will come up with other measures and, among other things, self-tests will become more available.
The Dutch outgoing cabinet decided to announce a strict lockdown again this weekend due to the threat of the omikron variant. RIVM director Jaap van Dissel expects that omikron will also be here before the turn of the year the dominant variant becomes.
This is what outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte said about it on Saturday evening during a press conference:
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