New York sees increase in hospitalized children as Omicron hammers US
WASHINGTON, United States — With Omicron cases on the rise, New York health officials have reported an increase in hospitalized children, as the White House promised Sunday to quickly resolve the United States' Covid-19 test shortage.
The New York State Department of Health warned "of an upward trend in pediatric hospitalizations associated with Covid-19," in a statement Friday.
In New York City, it "identified four-fold increases in Covid-19 hospital admissions for children 18 and under beginning the week of December 5 through the current week," it said.
Approximately half of the admissions are younger than five, an age group that is vaccine ineligible, the department added.
The number of Covid-19 cases in the United States is on the rise, with an average of nearly 190,000 new infections daily over the past seven days, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
The arrival of the new Omicron variant, compounded by holiday celebrations that typically include travel and family reunions, have caused a rush on tests in the United States, where it is difficult to get one in many locations.
Top US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci on Sunday acknowledged a Covid "testing problem" and vowed to make more tests available to Americans next month.
"One of the problems is that that's not going to be totally available to everyone until we get to January and there are still some issues now of people having trouble getting tested," Fauci told ABC News.
"But we're addressing the testing problem," he added, saying it should be corrected "very soon."
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced a raft of new measures as the United States battles its latest Covid surge, including shipping half a billion free home tests in the wake of the Christmastime testing crunch.
However, the White House, whose strategy has for weeks been mainly focused on vaccinations, has faced strong criticism over the fact that many tests won't be available until January.
'Extraordinarily contagious'
Fauci on Sunday emphasized that the administration was ramping up to tackle the spike and stressed that Omicron was "extraordinarily contagious."
Apart from overwhelming hospitals and Covid testing sites, the Covid variant has forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights in the United States, as crews called in sick or had to quarantine after exposure to the virus.
Recent studies in South Africa and Britain indicate that Omicron was less likely to lead to hospitalization than the previous strains of the virus and that the duration of hospital stays and oxygen needs for patients were lower, Fauci noted.
But he also warned that Omicron's apparent lower severity is likely to be neutralized by how fast it is spreading.
"The issue that we don't want to get complacent about... is that when you have such a high volume of new infections, it might override a real diminution in severity," Fauci said.
Follow this page for updates on the new COVID-19 variant, dubbed Omicron and originally detected in South Africa. Photo courtesy of the The STAR/Miguel de Guzman
The EU's drug regulator is expected to authorise the first Covid-19 vaccines for the Omicron variant, although they do not target the latest strains.
The adapted vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna will be discussed during an extraordinary meeting of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
European nations have been keen to rush through the new generation of jabs so they can start booster campaigns ahead of a feared Covid surge this winter.
The two so-called "bivalent" vaccines protect against the earlier BA.1 strain of Omicron, as well as the original Covid virus that emerged in China in 2019. — AFP
The Department of Health says an emerging Omicron subvariant, BA 2.75, had been detected in two individuals from Western Visayas.
The Department of Health confirms the detection of the COVID-19 Omicron subvariant BA.5 in the Philippines.
The DOH says two individuals from the same household in Central Luzon tested posiive with the subvariant.
Both patients have unknown exposure and have no travel history.
The first cases of Omicron BA.2.12.1 COVID-19 variant have been detected in the National Capital Region and Palawan, the Department of Health says.
The first two cases in NCR have both received their booster shot and are now tagged as asymptomatic and recovered after completing home isolation.
Meanwhile, 14 tourists and 1 local tested positive in Puerto Princesa City on April 29. All cases are now asymptomatic.
North Korea on Thursday confirms its first-ever case of Covid-19, with state media calling it a "severe national emergency incident" after more than two years of keeping the pandemic at bay.
The official KCNA news agency says the case was "consistent with" the virus' highly transmissible Omicron variant. — AFP
- Latest
- Trending
