Where in the US is the Omicron variant and how quickly is it spreading?
The IndependentThe latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It is clear that the Omicron variant is here in New York City in full force.” New York’s Cornell University recently closed early for the holidays and shifted to virtual classes, after 903 students tested positive for coronavirus, some of them who were fully vaccinated and still got the Omicron variant. And particularly in the arena of Omicron, if you are fully vaccinated, get your booster shot.” An analysis from South Africa’s largest health care administrator found that two shots of the Pfizer vaccine were 70 per cent effective at keeping people out of the hospital, influential but still less effective than against the Delta variant, where vaccines offered 90 per cent protection from hospitalisation. If current initial trends hold and Omicron is both milder and faster-spreading than other forms of the coronavirus, the variant could still wreak havoc in already weary health systems across the country. “You may only have one per cent of people infected hospitalised versus 10 per cent from Delta, but if you have a million more people infected because it’s spread so much more quickly, that means you’ll have overflowing hospitals at this rate,” New York governor Kathy Hochul said last week.