The US hit a record 1,485,764 new COVID cases on Monday, though deaths climbed by a relatively low 12 percent to 1,906 as fear turns to hope that the worst of the Omicron variant may have passed.

Cases rose by 27 percent from the 1.171 million new cases recorded last Monday, January 3 – the prior one day record, and the first time that daily cases have gone above one million. Deaths this week increased by 12 percent, from 1,688, last Monday according to a DailyMail.com analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.  

States don’t report complete case data over the weekend, which means infection and fatality figures slump on Saturday and Sunday, with Monday’s numbers always including a backlog of cases. That also means that infection numbers will likely drop in the coming days. 

On Monday, the United States reached a new record for number of Americans hospitalized with the COVID, with 132,646 currently admitted with the virus, higher than the 132,051 record set in January last year.

It is yet another marker set during the US’s Omicron-fueled virus surge. 

Despite rising hospitalizations, not as many Americans are dying from the virus as they were in previous surges, and not all of these hospitalizations are directly caused by the virus. 

Many people who go to the hospital for reason outside of Covid, such as injury or other ailments, are being tested while there. 

The US recorded 1,485,764 new COVID cases on Monday, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of Johns Hopkins data. Above, a mobile testing site in Brooklyn on Monday

The US recorded 1,485,764 new COVID cases on Monday, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of Johns Hopkins data. Above, a mobile testing site in Brooklyn on Monday

The US recorded 1,485,764 new COVID cases on Monday, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of Johns Hopkins data. Above, a mobile testing site in Brooklyn on Monday

Deaths, however, climbed by just 12 percent to 1,906. Above, a person waits for a COVID test in the snow in Boston on Friday

Deaths, however, climbed by just 12 percent to 1,906. Above, a person waits for a COVID test in the snow in Boston on Friday

Deaths, however, climbed by just 12 percent to 1,906. Above, a person waits for a COVID test in the snow in Boston on Friday

Cars line up at a Bluewater Diagnostic COVID testing site in Louisville, Kentucky on Monday

Cars line up at a Bluewater Diagnostic COVID testing site in Louisville, Kentucky on Monday

Cars line up at a Bluewater Diagnostic COVID testing site in Louisville, Kentucky on Monday

The lower death counts continue to spark hopes that the Omicron surge, and its associated closures and interruptions, will soon end. Above, a New York City teacher rallies for increased COVID safety measures in schools on Monday

The lower death counts continue to spark hopes that the Omicron surge, and its associated closures and interruptions, will soon end. Above, a New York City teacher rallies for increased COVID safety measures in schools on Monday

The lower death counts continue to spark hopes that the Omicron surge, and its associated closures and interruptions, will soon end. Above, a New York City teacher rallies for increased COVID safety measures in schools on Monday

Deaths growing at a slower rate with 1,648 Americans dying from the virus every day – an 11 percent increase from two weeks ago. This signals either the effectiveness of the vaccines, or the more mild nature of the new strain.

Omicron cases are continuing to rise in the U.S but deaths caused by the virus are not following at the same rate, signaling the variant that has ground much of America to a standstill is not making people as sick as the Delta variant. 

Cases have more than tripled over the past two weeks alone, up from 198,326 per day to 709,850 per day. 

On Sunday, Dr Walensky appeared on Fox News, and failed to answer whether or not many deaths currently being attributed to the virus actually have other causes. She also told ABC’s Good Morning America last week that 75 percent of people who have died from the Omicron variant in the U.S. have at least four comorbidities – in what she called ‘encouraging news’. 

The US also surpassed 60 million total cases of the virus as of Monday morning according to Johns Hopkins University, another grim milestone for the country. 

New York on Monday recorded 54,749 new COVID cases – around the same as last Monday, when 51,698 cases were confirmed

Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, revealed new data on Monday showing the COVID cases were plateauing in her state - giving hope for other beleaguered states

Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, revealed new data on Monday showing the COVID cases were plateauing in her state - giving hope for other beleaguered states

Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, revealed new data on Monday showing the COVID cases were plateauing in her state – giving hope for other beleaguered states

On Monday, New York state alone recorded 54,749 new COVID-19 cases, marking an apparent stabilization of the virus, with 51,698 cases recorded the previous Monday.

Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, gave rise to hope that perhaps the Omicron surge has plateaued in her state, as it has in the United Kingdom.

In South Africa, where it was first detected, the outbreak has peaked and is now rapidly declining.

On Monday, Hochul confirmed 12,022 hospitalizations – a rise from the 9,563 reported last Monday.

She reported 135 deaths in her state; an increase from the 103 people who died last Monday.

‘We have the tools to fight this winter surge, and how quickly we turn the corner will depend on our actions,’ said Hochul.

‘Please get your second dose if you haven’t already, and get the booster if you’re eligible.

‘Parents and guardians, please get your children vaccinated.

‘Wear a mask to help stop the spread, and stay home if you aren’t feeling well.

‘Let’s learn from the lessons of the past and finally put this winter surge behind us.’

Nationwide, the picture was less encouraging – but with New York the frequent bellwether, there was still hope that the surge will be as rapid but brief as experts hope.

The record surge began in December, only weeks after the new variant was discovered by South African health officials. Omicron is the most infectious strain of the virus yet, and its ability to evade vaccine immunity has presented additional challenges. 

Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, says that the world should be able to control Covid and even return to normal in the future – but only if people receive an annual vaccine, but it could require a decade of annual vaccination.

Pfizer – which produces the most commonly used vaccine in America and in much of the world, has benefitted greatly from the sale of its joint vaccine project with the German company BioNTech.

Bourla appeared on CNBC’s ‘The Squawk Box’ Monday morning to discuss the future of the Covid pandemic and the role his company can play in fighting it. His statements come as the virus tears through the U.S. for a second consecutive January, and national health leaders go all-in on vaccines as a strategy to fight Covid. 

American health leaders, like Dr Rochelle Walensky of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease, have centered vaccines in their fight against the virus – even in the wake of a vaccine resistant strain.  

While the variant can evade the immunity provided by the initial vaccine regimens, experts have found that vaccine booster shots can re-establish some of those protections. Breakthrough infections are also more mild than those in unvaccinated people, and the Omicron variant is found to be a more mild strain, less likely to cause infection or death than other strains of the virus.

Because of the rise of Omicron, and the potential for future variants with similar vaccine resistant properties to arise as well, some fear Covid may never be fully ended. As long as the virus continues to mutate, it will always be able to find away around vaccines, and the protection people receive from the shots seems to wane in a matter of months anyways.

Bourla told CNBC that Covid will likely be around for the next ten years – if not longer – though it can be controlled with a robust booster campaign.

‘We will have perfectly normal lives, with just injection maybe once a year,’ he said.

The number of Americans hospitalized with Covid is nearing record levels, reaching 130,000 this week

The number of Americans hospitalized with Covid is nearing record levels, reaching 130,000 this week

The number of Americans hospitalized with Covid is nearing record levels, reaching 130,000 this week

Pfizer’s vaccine has been deemed the gold standard worldwide, as the safest and most effective jab in the world. The shot has been administered over 300 million times in the U.S., almost 60 percent of total shots distributed, and is the only shot available to minors.

The success of the shot has led to a large windfall for the New York based firm, with an analysis by the People’s Vaccine Alliance finding that Pfizer, its partner BioNTech and Moderna – producer of the second most popular vaccine – make a combined profit of over $1,000 every second. Continued use of the vaccines for the next decade will likely keep that figure high.

Pfizer has also been accused of using its leverage and control over the jabs to take advantage of developing nations. Denying them their ability to receive donations of the shots, and even writing clauses into contracts that would allow the company to seize state assets. The company even worked to get around intellectual property rights for vaccine technology in other countries, as Bourla publicly called the idea of doing so in America ‘dangerous’, according to a report by Public Citizen last year.

On CNBC, the Pfizer CEO said that getting these low income countries to a point where they can administer more vaccines at a faster pace is a key to controlling the virus.

‘Particularly in low income countries, they have more than they can absorb right now,’ he said.

‘I think all the effort should be, right now… to build the infrastructure in low income countries so they can absorb more vaccines. Also, the campaigns that will convince the population [to get the shots].’

A top scientist at the pharmaceutical company also told Insider on Monday that testing for its Omicron-specific variant would begin trials by the end of January, and the shot could be available as early as March.  

Mississippi is the leader among U.S. states in case growth over the past two weeks, up 702 percent over that period. On average, 180 of every 100,000 residents are testing positive for the virus every day. Texas is following just behind, with a 678 percent jump in cases over the past two weeks. 

Like many of their peers with high case growth over the past two weeks, deaths in both states have remained relatively low, at around 0.3 per every 100,000 residents every day.

This not only signals how highly infectious this new strain is, but how mild it may be as well. 

Other southern states, South Carolina (652 percent increase over the past two weeks), Kentucky (578 percent), Louisiana (546 percent), Arkansas (526 percent) and Alabama (522 percent) have all also suffered sharp increases in daily cases in recent weeks.

Many of these states are among those with the lowest vaccination rates in America, with all falling below the 63 percent national pace of fully vaccinated residents.

Despite the large portion of unvaccinated residents, deaths have not spiked to the same level cases have over recent weeks in the region. 

Louisiana, for example, is among the states with the lowest death rate with 0.18 of every 100,000 residents dying of Covid every day, the sixth lowest rate of any state in America. 

Only Kentucky and Arkansas have death rates higher than 0.5 out of every 100,000 over the past week, and both are well under the national leaders with 0.6 and 0.63 respectively. 

While the south has been struck the hardest, cases are rising nearly everywhere in America. Maine is the only one of 50 states that is recording a decrease in cases over the past two weeks, down ten percent. 

The other 49 states, and the District of Columbia, are all recording case increases over the past 14 days. Cases have doubled in all but four states during that period.

The northeast has much higher vaccination rate than the south, with states like Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut all leading the nation is vaccination rates. Still, though, the region suffers a huge surge in cases.

Vermont, where a nation-high 78 percent of residents are fully vaccinated cases are up 192 percent over the past two weeks. Over that period, cases are also up 216 percent in Rhode Island (77 percent vaccination rate), 172 percent in Connecticut (75 percent) and 178 percent in Massachusetts (75 percent).

In the Midwest, Kansas has experienced a 418 percent increase in cases over 14 days, among the nation leaders. Neighboring Missouri is right behind them, recording a 395 percent jump in infections since late December.

States  along the west coast are experiencing massive surges as well, with a 405 percent increase in California, and 431 percent in Oregon. Alaska is also among the nations leaders with cases increasing six-fold over a 14 day period.

New York and New Jersey still retain the dubious honor of having the highest case rates in America. In the Empire state, 381 of every 100,000 residents are testing positive for the virus every day – with many of those cases being in New York City – while 355 of every 100,000 New Jersians are recording infections daily. 

No other state has an infection rate of more than 300 of every 100,000.

Leaders in cases are not quite leading the nation in deaths, though.

Delaware is the nation’s leader in Covid deaths, with 1.16 of every 100,000 residents dying from the virus every day. Wyoming falls just behind, with 1.14 of every 100,000, and Indiana at 1.07 of every 100,000.

Two longtime leaders in daily deaths, Michigan and Pennsylvania, find themselves among the nationwide leaders as well, with just over one of every 100,000 residents dying from the virus every day. No other state is suffering Covid deaths at that level, despite rampant case increases nationwide. 

In England, which the US often follows around two weeks behind of, cases are actually declining. The nation was struck hard and early by the Omicron variant, but the new strain seems to be burning out. Infections have dropped by six percent over the past week, and hospitalizations could be nearing a peak as well.

The Omicron Covid variant could be less deadly than the flu

Omicron could be even less deadly than flu, scientists believe in a boost to hopes that the worst of the pandemic is over.

MailOnline analysis shows Covid killed one in 33 people who tested positive at the peak of the devastating second wave last January, compared to just one in 670 now. But experts believe the figure could be even lower because of Omicron. 

The case fatality rate — the proportion of confirmed infections that end in death — for seasonal influenza is 0.1, the equivalent of one in 1,000. 

Meanwhile, researchers at Washington University modelling the next stage of the pandemic expect Omicron to kill up to 99 per cent fewer people than Delta, in another hint it could be less deadly than flu. 

But UK Government advisers estimated the overall figure stood at around 0.25 per cent before Omicron burst onto the scene, down from highs of around 1.5 per cent before the advent of life-saving vaccines.

If Omicron is 99 per cent less lethal than Delta, it suggests the current IFR could be as low as 0.0025 per cent, the equivalent of one in 40,000, although experts say this is unlikely. Instead, the Washington modelling estimates the figure actually sits in the region of 0.07 per cent, meaning approximately one in 1,430 people who get infected will succumb to the illness. 

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Getting a handle on America’s Covid situation has become a challenge in recent weeks. Long lags in reporting combined with testing shortages have led to the current case count constantly fluctuating, and likely being lower than actual totals. Hospitalizations and deaths, on the other hand, could be overcounted, with many being hospitalized or dying from another cause extraneously being listed as a death from the virus.  

According to data from Johns Hopkins, the U.S. is averaging 709,850 new cases every day, and 1,648 deaths per day. Since the pandemic began, America has suffered 60 million infections and over 837,000 deaths. 

Things may soon change, though, if America follows the path of England. Across the pond, cases have dropped by six percent over the past week. While hospitalizations (up 27 percent) and deaths (up 12 percent) are still rising, the growth has slowed in recent days – signaling the peak of the surge may have been reached. Both figures often lag behind cases as well.

London, once a global hotspot of the new variant, now finds not of its boroughs among the 25 in England with the largest Covid outbreaks – another positive sign that the new strain is burning out.  

A MailOnline.com analysis on English data finds the new strain could be very mild, even potentially more mild than the flu. Currently in the UK, around 0.15 percent of Covid cases are fatal, compared to 0.1 percent of flu cases. While one in every 1,000 people who catch the flu die, a Washington University analysis finds that one in every 1,400 people who catch Omicron will succumb to the virus.

A DailyMail.com analysis of data in the U.S. finds that around 0.23 percent of cases are fatal, though many Covid cases in America are going entirely undetected – which would bring that figure down even further. 

Data from the CDC from the 2019 to 2020 flu season – before the pandemic – found that 30 million Americans suffered a symptomatic case of the virus that year. Around 20,000 died, or a death rate of 0.05 percent. 

Some experts are hopeful that the high infectiousness of the variant, combined with the relatively mild symptoms of Omicron could mean that the pandemic is soon coming to a close. Dr Jim Baker, an immunologist at the University of Michigan, wrote in blog that the virus is showing similar signs to the 2011 flu pandemic that it will burn out soon.

“We have been focused on number of infections with COVID-19 because of the very sensitive and accurate diagnostic tests (PCR) we have developed,’ he said

‘In contrast, as we look at the end of the pandemic, we now need to focus less on infections and more on deaths. That is truly the important marker of a pandemic’s impact and the only comparable measure to the 1918 flu epidemic where there were no diagnostic tests.’

A record of 132,646 Americans are currently hospitalized with Covid, the highest point of the pandemic so far. Despite this recent increase in cases and hospitalizations, deaths remain low, signaling the Omicron variant may not be very severe. Pictured: A New Hampshire nurse in an isolated Covid ward

A record of 132,646 Americans are currently hospitalized with Covid, the highest point of the pandemic so far. Despite this recent increase in cases and hospitalizations, deaths remain low, signaling the Omicron variant may not be very severe. Pictured: A New Hampshire nurse in an isolated Covid ward

A record of 132,646 Americans are currently hospitalized with Covid, the highest point of the pandemic so far. Despite this recent increase in cases and hospitalizations, deaths remain low, signaling the Omicron variant may not be very severe. Pictured: A New Hampshire nurse in an isolated Covid ward

‘In the 1917 flu pandemic, after the initial burst of infections and deaths, two waves of deaths followed, each one less impactful. This is how pandemics end; two “echo” waves each being less and less significant. It is because in each wave the most susceptible individuals have been killed off as the rest of the population develops immunity. A similar pattern was seen in the 2011 Influenza A pandemic and it has now emerged with COVID-19. This pattern shows the COVID-19 pandemic is burning out.’

Denmark emerged as an early Omicron hotspot. Cases in the Nordic nation reached a record of over 20,000 per day at the start of the year, but dipped back down to 19,000 this week – signaling the variant may have peaked in the country.

Other countries have not been as lucky as Denmark and England, though. In Germany, cases are on the rise to start the year after declining for much of January. The country is averaging 49,000 cases per day, approaching the record of around 57,000 per day set late last year.

France’s rocketing rise in Covid cases continues as well, up to nearly 300,000 per day, up from around 70,000 cases per day only two weeks ago.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla (right) said that Covid could be around for the next ten years, but could be controlled with yearly booster shots his company produces

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla (right) said that Covid could be around for the next ten years, but could be controlled with yearly booster shots his company produces

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla (right) said that Covid could be around for the next ten years, but could be controlled with yearly booster shots his company produces

Daily Mail Online