Warn The Public Not To Be Complacent, Health Experts Call The Omicron Variant A Burden On Hospitals

Illustration of handling COVID-19 patients. (Wikimedia Commons/US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sara Eshleman)

JAKARTA - Leading United States infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci warned all parties on Wednesday not to rest on their laurels even if the Omicron variant had lower signs of severity, as the sheer number of cases could strain hospitals.

The rate of spread of the Omicron variant has surprised many, canceling the resumption of schools after the holidays, stopping air travel, and closing entertainment venues.

The seven-day average number of new COVID-19 cases in the United States hit 540,000, a new high for the eighth straight day on Tuesday. Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients have increased 45 percent in the past seven days and reached more than 111,000, a figure not seen since January 2021.

"(Omicron) can still stress our hospital system because a certain proportion of a large number of cases, whatever happens, are going to be severe," Fauci told reporters at a White House briefing.

In Ohio, the state with the second-highest per capita COVID-19 hospitalization rate in the country after Delaware, staff at a small community hospital said they were struggling to cope with the influx of patients.

Several patients had been in the 12-bed intensive care unit (ICU) at Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls for six weeks, with most apparently suffering from the Delta variant, hospital staff said.

Meanwhile, a 30-year-old patient is on a ventilator, and three patients have died within a day on several occasions in recent months, said Susan Straus, the hospital's director of critical care.

Doctor William Paster said about 80 percent of COVID patients in hospitals were not vaccinated and ward nurse Jodi Parsons said almost all patients requiring ICU care were not vaccinated.

Among those vaccinated, most survived the virus, even those with underlying health problems, Paster said.

"We've never seen numbers like we're seeing now, and they're absolutely incredible," said Justine Neuwirth, a respiratory therapist at the hospital.

Separately, other states are also feeling the strain of increasing hospitalizations. Maryland is under a 30-day state of emergency as hospitalizations hit a new pandemic high on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Delaware, Illinois, Ohio, Vermont and Washington, DC, have reported record numbers of hospitalized COVID patients in recent days.

In addition, Omicron's rapid deployment has forced many companies and school officials to reconsider plans to return to work and classes. While most public school districts nationwide voted to reopen this week after the holidays, cities including Milwaukee, Atlanta and Detroit are implementing online instruction or delaying returning to school due to staff shortages and Omicron concerns.

In Chicago, the nation's third-largest school district, officials canceled classes Wednesday amid a dispute with the teachers' union.

The move comes after unions voted late Tuesday to return to distance learning and push for stricter safety protocols, including mandatory testing and vaccinations for students.

Chicago officials, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot, have urged classrooms to remain open, citing low hospitalization rates among the city's children and the devastating impact distance learning could have on minority and poor students in particular.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Teachers' Union has urged its members not to attend classes and work remotely until January 18, or return sooner if the city reaches minimum health-safety thresholds set last year as a condition for in-person learning.

So far, deaths nationwide have remained steady at around 1,300 daily on average, according to a Reuters tally.