dancinstallion
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"U.S. Covid fatalities reach highest level in a year as omicron cases subside."
- This week, the U.S. Covid death toll hit its highest level in about a year, rising 39% over the past two weeks, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
- Though the highly contagious omicron variant generally produces milder infections than previous strains, the pandemic isn't over.
- "There's nothing mild about what's going on in our hospital and in our ICUs, particularly if you are unvaccinated or unboosted," said Dr. Ken Silverstein, chief physician executive of ChristianaCare health system in Delaware.
This week, the U.S. Covid death toll hit its highest level in about a year, rising 39% over the past two weeks, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Though the highly contagious omicron variant generally produces milder infections than previous strains, officials say the pandemic isn't over, and many health-care systems still struggle to care for patients.
"There's nothing mild about what's going on in our hospital and in our ICUs, particularly if you are unvaccinated or unboosted," said Dr. Ken Silverstein, chief physician executive of ChristianaCare, which has three hospitals and more than 1,200 beds.
"Covid deaths rise The U.S. death toll from Covid rose to an average of more than 2,400 fatalities per day over the previous seven days as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins data.
Jennifer Nuzzo, head of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Covid Resource Center, said Covid deaths may rise even more, because states with lower vaccination rates got hit later by omicron and haven't experienced the full brunt of the variant yet.
"Any time we have deaths after the development of a vaccine — [which] largely takes off the table the possibility of death — is a tragedy," Nuzzo said. "There's no way around that this is a bad development for the pandemic."
About half as many patients who come in with Covid end up needing intensive care in this wave as compared with previous surges, Elnahal said.
"It's just so transmissible that the absolute numbers of people needing ventilators looked similar to previous waves," he said.
Some parts of the country are seeing encouraging signs, and cases and hospitalizations are easing nationwide. Hopkins data shows that U.S. cases surged to a pandemic high of close to 1 million new infections a day in mid-January. The country is now reporting a seven-day average of about 450,000 new cases per day, down 36% over the past two weeks.
This easing is most evident in the Northeast, where cases rose as the omicron variant spread earlier there than in other parts of the country. Cases and hospitalizations are falling more sharply in that region than others, but it's now feeling the effects of getting hit first by omicron, with population-adjusted daily deaths higher than anywhere else.
The number of ChristianaCare patients has declined by 33% in recent weeks, but its hospitals were still operating at 99% capacity as of late last week. That includes patients who came to the hospital because of Covid as well as those who were admitted for something else and then tested positive. All patients who test positive for Covid, regardless of why they were admitted, need extra care and resources to isolate them from other patients and staff, which taxes the system, Silverstein said.
"There are a lot of sick people, with Covid and because of Covid," he said.
A shortage of monoclonal antibodies, which were standard care for Covid patients before they proved little use against omicron, also has forced ChristianaCare to make "clinical prioritization decisions about who's most eligible," Silverstein said. "Not who's eligible, who's most eligible."
"As long as we have tens of millions of people who will not get vaccinated, we're going to have full hospitals and needless deaths," President Joe Biden said earlier this month.
Although omicron generally doesn't make people as sick as past strains, Walensky said, that doesn't mean the variant is mild. She called on the public to wear masks and get vaccinated and boosted to help ease the burden on hospitals.
"I know many people are tired, but many of our hospitals are still struggling beyond capacity," Walensky said. "It's been a long two years. However, please now do your part to lean in to this current moment."]
Jennifer Nuzzo, head of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Covid Resource Center, said Covid deaths may rise even more, because states with lower vaccination rates got hit later by omicron and haven't experienced the full brunt of the variant yet.
"Any time we have deaths after the development of a vaccine — [which] largely takes off the table the possibility of death — is a tragedy," Nuzzo said. "There's no way around that this is a bad development for the pandemic."
Milder omicron
Dr. Shereef Elnahal, CEO of Newark, New Jersey-based University Hospital, said it's not yet clear if his facility is fully over the hump in Covid-related deaths in this wave. After an increase in deaths over the past couple of weeks, the hospital has seen a plateau in ICU patients and fatalities.About half as many patients who come in with Covid end up needing intensive care in this wave as compared with previous surges, Elnahal said.
"It's just so transmissible that the absolute numbers of people needing ventilators looked similar to previous waves," he said.
Some parts of the country are seeing encouraging signs, and cases and hospitalizations are easing nationwide. Hopkins data shows that U.S. cases surged to a pandemic high of close to 1 million new infections a day in mid-January. The country is now reporting a seven-day average of about 450,000 new cases per day, down 36% over the past two weeks.
Hospitalizations fall
The number of patients currently in U.S. hospitals with Covid — 140,000 — is also down from the recent peak of 159,400 on Jan. 20, according to a seven-day average of Department of Health and Human Services data.This easing is most evident in the Northeast, where cases rose as the omicron variant spread earlier there than in other parts of the country. Cases and hospitalizations are falling more sharply in that region than others, but it's now feeling the effects of getting hit first by omicron, with population-adjusted daily deaths higher than anywhere else.
The number of ChristianaCare patients has declined by 33% in recent weeks, but its hospitals were still operating at 99% capacity as of late last week. That includes patients who came to the hospital because of Covid as well as those who were admitted for something else and then tested positive. All patients who test positive for Covid, regardless of why they were admitted, need extra care and resources to isolate them from other patients and staff, which taxes the system, Silverstein said.
"There are a lot of sick people, with Covid and because of Covid," he said.
A shortage of monoclonal antibodies, which were standard care for Covid patients before they proved little use against omicron, also has forced ChristianaCare to make "clinical prioritization decisions about who's most eligible," Silverstein said. "Not who's eligible, who's most eligible."
"As long as we have tens of millions of people who will not get vaccinated, we're going to have full hospitals and needless deaths," President Joe Biden said earlier this month.
Although omicron generally doesn't make people as sick as past strains, Walensky said, that doesn't mean the variant is mild. She called on the public to wear masks and get vaccinated and boosted to help ease the burden on hospitals.
"I know many people are tired, but many of our hospitals are still struggling beyond capacity," Walensky said. "It's been a long two years. However, please now do your part to lean in to this current moment."]
www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/02/01/us-covid-fatalities-reach-highest-level-in-a-year-as-omicron-cases-subside.html
TOLE YOU SO! 
-s are vaccinated as a requirement to be on air.
There is not a single white person that I would defend if they were accused of racism including the ones that I am related to. They will have you out here looking like a fool because chances are they did or said something racist. The Rock should’ve sat there quietly. 
