On November 24, The World Health Organization gave a new shock to the world by introducing a new variant of COVID 19, the omicron, which was discovered in South Africa and has some roots in Hong Kong. The US federal government took the initial step by banning air travel from the 8 most infected South African countries to enter the border of the United States.
Omicron Appears To Be Rapidly Spreading In Washington State
Although Dr. Anthony Fauci stated that he won’t be surprised if the omicron variant will be detected too early in the country. The first case of the Omicron virus was discovered in a 40-year-old woman from Maryland on November 21, three days before the virus was made public.
Later, cases of Omicron were reported from various countries, with the majority of cases coming from patients who traveled to South Africa. Following an increase in Omicron cases, many countries have also restricted South African travelers.
The United States, like many other countries, has reported cases of Omicron and the total infected patients have risen to 43. Previously, New York reported 20 cases, 13 of which were in the New York City metropolitan area. More than 20 states in the United States have reported at least one case of the Omicron, and more than 57 countries have reported cases worldwide.
According to the reports, the United States has reached another low point in its fight against the coronavirus, where people are dying and the death rate is increasing daily. The seven-day average is 1092 deaths per day and it was 25 percent more than the previously recorded data.
According to the reports, the Omicron variant cases are increasing at a rapid pace in Washington state. The samples were analyzed using the SGTF method, and the results indicated that Omicron was present in 29 of the 217 COVID positive samples. This accounts for approximately 13% of all cases. Because of its mutation patterns, the WHO considers the Omicron to be a potentially dangerous variant as it spreads much faster than the delta variant and as per the initial studies conducted, the omicron strain is not severe as compared to the delta subtype of covid.
The Omicron is at the forefront of the cases, which have begun to rise rapidly in Washington. Companies had to postpone their plans to return to work due to the increasing number of cases.
The local government and medical authorities are urging the citizens to wear masks indoors and to take proper precautions in businesses where vaccinations are not required.
The US government is still urging people to get vaccinated as soon as possible and to get boosters if necessary because vaccinations have been shown to provide 75 percent of the body’s protection against the Omicron. After two doses of the vaccine, the antibodies’ ability to target and neutralize the variant. The third dose is found to increase protection by 25 times.
Dr. Anthony Fauci previously stated that the newly detected variant’s origin and history are still unknown, and scientists and medical researchers around the globe are working together to find major answers to the tough questions which are being asked by the omicron variant. Fauci also stated that the Omicron variant is not worse than the Delta variant.