The Omicron variant has become a large majority in the United States, accounting for 73.2% of new Covid-19 infections during the week ending December 18, according to data from US health authorities. The highly transmissible Omicron quickly gained the upper hand over the Delta variant. The week before, it only accounted for 12.6% of new infections. It now accounts for up to 96.3% of new cases in three northwestern US states (Oregon, Washington and Idaho), according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.
95% of infections due to Omicron in the Southeastern USA
In another group of southeastern states, including Florida, Alabama and Georgia, 95.2% of new infections are due to Omicron, a similar proportion in other parts of the country. First detected in November in southern Africa, Omicron sparked concern and tightened health restrictions across the world.
The United States, however, is not considering “containment” for the moment, said the spokesperson of the US executive Jen Psaki, on the eve of a long-awaited speech by Joe Biden on the response of his administration to the to this new epidemic wave. “We are going to have difficult weeks or months as we approach winter,” White House adviser on the health crisis Anthony Fauci warned on Sunday, worrying about the number of Americans still unvaccinated.
Joe Biden speaks on Tuesday
United States President Joe Biden will deliver a speech on Tuesday. He must announce new “measures” aimed at “increasing access to screening” for Covid, according to his spokesperson. The president will insist on “the risks run by unvaccinated individuals”, but no “confinement of the country” is planned, she said.
The Democrat, elected largely on the promise of ending the epidemic, does not have many levers at the federal level. And the few restrictive measures he has taken, including vaccination in large companies, come up against legal proceedings and fuel the speeches of the Republican opposition on an attack on individual freedoms.