U.S. COVID-19 Cases Rise Again with BA.2

April 12, 2022

COVID-19 case numbers are trending up within the U.S. as soon as extra, with practically all new infections pushed by the expansion of the Omicron subvariant BA.2.

At the identical time, the U.S. hasn’t but seen a dramatic rise in instances, and COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are nonetheless at low ranges. Public well being officers are watching the numbers to find out what may occur subsequent.

“We are certainly seeing the beginning of a surge in new infections,” Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, instructed CNN.

In a perfect situation, he mentioned, the U.S. would attain transmission charges which are “low enough” to not disrupt “our daily economic, workplace and social lives.” Until then, Americans must be ready to take precautions and calculate their very own dangers.

“It depends on how high we go up in the surge, and it depends on whether the surge is associated with an increase in severe disease,” he mentioned. “I can’t say where we are right now because we’re transitioning.”

BA.2 accounted for 86% of latest COVID-19 instances final week, in accordance with the most recent CDC replace. About 34,000 instances are being reported every day, in accordance with the nationwide knowledge tracker for The New York Times, which marks a 22% enhance through the previous two weeks.

Even nonetheless, the case numbers are a number of the lowest since July 2021. This week’s bounce in instances might be associated to a two-week backlog in Florida, CNN reported. In addition, hospitalizations and deaths are nonetheless declining, with about 15,000 COVID-19 sufferers hospitalized nationwide and about 500 deaths being reported every day.

At the state degree, instances are growing in 25 states, falling in 16 states and regular in 9 states, CNN reported. Cases are rising most within the Northeast, the place BA.2 makes up greater than 90% of instances.

On Monday, Philadelphia grew to become the primary main metropolis to announce that it will reinstate indoor masks necessities. Cases elevated 50% in 10 days, which surpassed town’s restrict for reimposing masks mandates.

Several universities have additionally reinstated indoor masking, CNN reported, together with American University, Georgetown University, George Washington University and Johns Hopkins University.

“I suspect that this wave will be smaller than the one we saw in January,” Cheryl Bettigole, MD, the general public well being commissioner of Philadelphia, mentioned Monday throughout a information briefing.

“But if we wait to find out and to put our masks back on, we’ll have lost our chance to stop the wave,” she added.

The international tally of COVID-19 instances surpassed 500 million on Tuesday, in accordance with UPI, growing from 300 million in early January to 400 million in early February to half a billion this week.

Worldwide unfold seems to be slowing, with the variety of each day instances about 37% decrease than two weeks in the past, in accordance with the worldwide knowledge tracker from The New York Times. Fewer than 1 million instances are being reported every day, down from 2 million each day instances a couple of month in the past.

In addition, the worldwide variety of COVID-19 deaths is about 31% decrease than two weeks in the past, with a mean of three,300 deaths being reported every day.