U.S. Faces Surge in COVID-19 Hospitalizations Amidst Spread of New Omicron Subvariant

(PHOTO: Drexel University)

US hospitals are flooded more and more with the wave of COVID-19 hospitalizations amid the emergence of the new JN.1 subtype of the Omicron variant. However, a surprising revelation has emerged based on recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the past one week, there has been a massive hike of about 17% in weekly hospitalization cases caused by COVID-19 over the course of just seven days. Notably, the number of newly hospitalized people has exceeded expectations and surmounted to 22,500 patients. This is above the highest level recorded in the late summer spike, hence the alarming increase in admissions.

The increase in hospitalizations is due to a combination of reasons that include traveling during holidays and gathering indoors; these are among the key contributors to the quick spread of the virus. The CDC notes that although there has been an increase in the number of COVID, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) patients, hospitals are still not full.

The CDC has reported that the number of cases of respiratory illness has drastically increased. The sufferers of these afflictions, like fever with a running nose or coughs, have come from all regions of the state to get treatment. Amazingly enough, it appears that cases of coronavirus in emergency departments tend to be more frequent among babies as well as the elderly.

This situation is even more complicated following the discovery of a new sub-variant of omicron referred to as JN.1, which belongs in the category of BA.2.86 or piola, according to some researchers. The CDC’s latest reports have indicated that this particular strain accounts recently, WHO categorized JN.1 as a variant of interest due to its multiple mutations. However, it should be noted that the overall evaluation of the public health risk regarding both BA.2.86 and JN.1 still remains at a low level.

Recent CDC data on vaccination rates show that only 16 percent of American adults received at least four shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, leaving experts wondering why they do not expect that current vaccines are sufficient given that vaccines are considered to induce immunity in an individual. There are apprehensions about whether the population is immune to the changing nature of the virus.

The rise in hospital admissions as well as the appearance of the new strain of COVID-19 serve as indicators of the urgent importance of vaccines and the absolute determination of public health measures to prevent the spread of the virus in America during these days of war with coronavirus.