First the bad news: The highly transmissible omicron variant is surging, sending infections to record levels in some parts of the country. On Friday, Florida reported a 323 percent increase in COVID-19 cases from the week before, even before Americans traveled in droves for the busy holiday season. But the nation is in a much better place as the New Year approaches. Americans have the tools to manage the pandemic, and the coming weeks will be critical to curbing the virus’ spread.
Omicron is spreading across the nation just as most experts predicted, with Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and other states and territories reporting more cases of COVID in the past week than in any other seven-day period. On Friday, the seven-day national average of new daily cases surpassed 197,000, a 65 percent jump over the previous two weeks, and a spike that didn’t even reflect the advent of holiday travel. Hospitalizations and deaths, which are lagging indicators, were also up, though not as severely. Florida reported 125,201 coronavirus cases over the seven-day period from Dec. 17-23, an average of about 17,886 infections per day. That’s a 323 percent increase from the week prior. At this rate, both the United States and Florida could post records for average daily cases in the coming days or weeks.
While omicron is spreading rapidly, early signs indicate that the variant is less severe than previous strains, which is good news for the nation’s exhausted health care system. Still, the sheer number of infections could still cause enough serious cases to dangerously tax America’s hospitals, which have been battered by staff shortages and early retirements since the pandemic erupted almost two years ago.
That’s created a race this holiday season to get shots into the unvaccinated, to get those partially vaccinated to return for boosters and to expand testing, a critical early-warning system that can both prevent infections from exploding and help route the nation’s medical resources where they are needed most. In a teleconference Monday with the nation’s governors, President Joe Biden underscored the additional steps he announced last week, including plans to vastly expand testing. And Biden noted again his commitment to de-politicize the COVID response at both the state and federal levels.
With tens of millions of Americans still unvaccinated, the immediate challenge is to get more shots into arms. Unvaccinated people are 14 times as likely to die from COVID compared with vaccinated patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 6 million Floridians ages 5 and up are eligible for the vaccine but remain unvaccinated. Yet last week, Florida administered 195,201 doses, up over 30,000 doses from the week before, with the greatest increase among first-time recipients. That signals some loosening among vaccine holdouts. And while Florida’s positivity rate more than doubled last week, to 13.8 percent, that figure reflected a vast increase in testing. Demand for tests has been so strong that retailers are limiting purchases and government agencies are reopening pop-up test sites.
Omicron is everywhere, and with New Year’s around the corner, Americans need to be cautious. But with tests, vaccines, clinical care experience and expanded treatment options, the U.S. is far better positioned this holiday season. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, said Monday that authorities were considering shortening the isolation period for people who have been infected with or exposed to COVID-19, another nuanced step in the administration’s approach. This is a critical moment for making smart choices, and for realizing that public health and normalcy can coexist.
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Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the Editorial Board are Editor of Editorials Graham Brink, Sherri Day, Sebastian Dortch, John Hill, Jim Verhulst and Chairman and CEO Paul Tash. Follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news.
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