Dual covid variants setting up the potential for a hard holiday season and a rough start to 2022. ICU beds are rapidly filling as major league sports,
schools and Capitol Hill feel the impact of rising new cases. But there is potential good news about Omicron. Stacey Cohan reports.
This year’s holiday grinch goes by two names Omicron and Delta.
The highly contagious covid variants are storming through the nation.
Delta currently accounts for 97 percent of cases, but Omicron numbers are rising quickly.
“The fact that it’s doubling every two days, if you’re 100,000 cases by Christmas, a week later, by New Year’s Eve, we could be over 400,000 daily cases of just omicron.”
Major league sports teams are canceling or postponing games, some schools are moving online and ICU beds are at nearly 80 percent capacity, with one in five beds used for a covid
patient according to hhs data.
Experts say boosters are the best weapon against serious illness, but many Americans have not gotten the extra shot.
“Right now, I think we’re a little under 20 percent of Americans have been boosted.”
Moderna says preliminary data suggests their booster increases protection against Omicron, adding that a larger booster dosage would be even better.
Meanwhile Moderna hopes to have an Omicron-fighting shot available early next year.
“We are going to continue to advance an Omicron specific booster into clinical trials in early 2022.”
On capitol hill, Senator Elizabeth Warren is one of three lawmakers who recently tested positive.
She credits her vaccinations and booster with keeping symptoms mild and urges Americans to find time this busy holiday season to get their shots too.
