Covid: US and France see a record increase in daily cases
Written byTimes Magazine
The US and France have reported the highest daily increases in new Covid cases since the pandemic began as the Omicron variant continued to spread. According to the US Centers for Disease Prevention (CDC), the country reported more than 440,000 new infections.
However, officials said the numbers could be "overstated" due to delays in reporting on Christmas. France, meanwhile, reported the highest number of new daily cases in Europe.
179,807 infections were reported on Tuesday, with French Health Minister Olivier Veran earlier warning that "everything suggests" that France could have up to 250,000 cases a day as early as January.
In the United States, however, a CDC spokesman told Politico that the number was "overstated," likely due to the backlog in testing and the closure of testing centers over the Christmas period, adding that the number of cases "after New Year's will become more stable."
On Tuesday, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and the UK also reported record gains. This comes as the WHO warned in its weekly update on Covid that the risk of the Omicron variant "remains very high."
According to an update released on Tuesday, the number of new Covid infections of all types rose 57% in Europe and 30% in the Americas in the week leading up to December 26.
Studies show that the Omicron variant is milder than Delta, with a 30 to 70% lower chance of hospitalized an infected person. However, fears remain that large numbers of cases of the highly contagious variant could overwhelm hospitals.
Record rising in Europe and the United States.
The CDC's tracking data said cases rose by 441,278 on December 27, the most significant daily number of cases ever reported to the agency. In addition, American media reported that the seven-day average infection growth was at its highest level since January 2021.
However, agency officials also lowered the prevalence of Omicron in the United States, saying it accounts for 59% of cases, not the 73% previously reported.
Medical policy expert Scott Gottlieb said the new assessment could show that "the Delta option is still driving the vast majority of current hospital admissions" in the United States.
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