According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average daily number is more than 176,000. This is the highest level in almost a year. This spike is affecting everything, from college bowl games to pediatric hospitalizations.
New York is currently dealing with the worst coronavirus epidemic on record. Officials in New York state have reported that pediatric hospitalizations have quadrupled since December.
Schools are making other changes. Some major universities and colleges, such as Yale, Columbia and Los Angeles, will allow students to start the next semester online. Northeastern and the University of Maryland will also resume in-person classes in January, but they recommend or require booster shots.
College football is being disrupted by the virus. Due to the outbreak, University of Miami pulled out of Friday's Sun Bowl. Two bowls were cancelled due to team withdrawals.
This surge is despite the fact that testing continues to be a major problem in the country. Many Americans who sought a COVID-19 testing over Christmas weekend waited in long lines and were unable to be tested.
The COVID-19 cases involving airline crew, pilots, and staff led to a series last-minute flight changes, including over 3,000 cancellations, from Friday to Sunday.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that Omicron may not cause severe illness but that Americans should remain vigilant.
"Given how many cases you see every day, it keeps going up," said President Biden's chief medical advisor. According to President Biden's chief medical adviser, the last weekly average was approximately 150,000. It is likely that it will rise much higher."
He said, "We have to be careful that that we don’t get complacent about it because it might still cause a lot of hospitalsizations in America."
Fauci was asked about the nation’s testing infrastructure and admitted that it needed improvement. However, those improvements might not be made until January when the Biden administration will send 500 million at-home test results to anyone who requests one.
