A week of attending duties and monitoring the trends across The US- Here is what I observed:
US has 93-97% Omicron now
Some states went this week from 10% to 66%
All should be at 97% by next week.
Hospitalizations rising.. For and with about 55% & 45%
The Booster raises your protection of reinfection & hospitalization close to 90% in > older than 65.
The problem is anything less than 3 dose (boosted) reinfection is very likely & hospitalization is about 5-10% of infected depends on risk status
US has only 36% boosted people
That means Omicron has about 256 Million people who aren't 3 dose, or boosted to go through.
I expect those vaxxed X2 w/prior infection to have less severe illness, and if not high risk, not be admitted
those less than 2 dose and PI, are most vulnerable
Get the booster!
In some hard hit states, PA, we are seeing about 90% of hospitalized patients are the unvaccinated.
Updated data from most states is not current, and w/ Omicron, every day's data will effect a change on the trend and charts.
If yet another mutation or variant of concern surges that more completely evades the antibodies people have built up, “we start all over,” ---Dr. Gregory Poland, head of the Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group 1/4/2022
I stress that mutations happen during rampant surge
Omicron has an enhanced and focused affinity for the upper airways, replicating 70X more than delta and not invading the lower airway.
The resultant edema, inflammation, increased secretions are presenting as bronchiolitis, RAD, bronchospasms, and croup depending on the age group
It is predicted that the next variant of concern WILL arise before June of 2022.
The unprecedented explosive surge of new cases is the perfect petri dish for Omicron's next variant.
I keep citing basic principles in virology and immunology that so many clinicians forgot
1/The absolute key to beating this pandemic is testing to identify any and all positive patients, isolating them until they test negative. This will temporize the pandemic allowing us time to develop therapeutic drugs, study therapeutics in clinical trials, and develop a vaccine
2/Lessons from Singapore and Wuhan,China should serve as lessons for us here. Containment is always the primary objective. Let us not give up on containment.
Mitigation is not appropriate for #coronavirus. That maybe okay for the flu, but not #COVIDー19
3/ We must test, test, and test some more. We must identify all positives and isolate them until they test negative. We must use technology and track all their potential exposed contacts and test/quarantine them. Social distancing, lockdown, and testing will contain this disease.