COVID-19 | “Don’t panic,” says Biden amid rising contamination

(Washington) US President Joe Biden on Monday called on Americans not to “panic” over the sharp rise in daily COVID-19 contamination from the Omicron variant, which is approaching a record dating from January .

“Omicron is a source of concern but should not be a source of panic,” he said from the White House at the start of a video conference with about 20 governors and health advisers.

The spread of the highly contagious variant, identified in South Africa in November, will not have the same impact as the first wave of COVID-19 a year ago or the Delta variant this year, the president said, due the massive vaccination campaign and screening.

“Because there have been so many vaccinations and third doses, we are not seeing hospitalizations increase as much,” said Joe Biden, when 72% of the population received at least one injection.

However, he admitted that some hospitals in the country were “overwhelmed, in terms of equipment and personnel”, by an increase in hospitalizations, mostly unvaccinated people who are still numerous.

He also acknowledged the problems caused by the shortage of tests in the face of the rush of Americans who wanted to spend the holiday season with their families.

“Seeing that it was so hard for some to have a test last weekend shows that we still have some work to do,” he admitted, citing the increase in the number of websites. testing and the upcoming federal government distribution of 500 million kits.

“This is clearly not enough. If we had known, we would have done harder, faster, ”Biden added.

Mandatory vaccine in New York

According to data compiled by The New York Times on Monday, the country recorded 214,499 new cases the day before, a jump of 83% on a 14-day average, and is approaching the daily record of 251,232 positive cases reached in January 2021.

The average daily number of deaths also increased slightly over 14 days (+ 3%) with 1,328 dead in the most bereaved country in the world (more than 800,000 dead).

Several states such as Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, as well as the territory of Puerto Rico, experienced an unprecedented increase in a period of seven days, adds the daily.

In New York, where authorities have seen an increase in the number of children hospitalized in connection with COVID-19, the vaccination obligation for employees of businesses and private businesses in the city came into force Monday morning.

“This is what we have to do everywhere,” said outgoing mayor Bill de Blasio on MSNBC, to “leave COVID-19 behind us” in 2022.

Asked about public radio NPR, Anthony Fauci, senior White House adviser in the fight against the pandemic, hoped that the dizzying rise in positive cases would peak before falling again, as in South Africa.

This is “perhaps due to saturation, that is to say that the variant has reached all vulnerable targets” such as unvaccinated people, he said.

The Omicron variant, which is more contagious than the Delta, appears to be less dangerous for people who have received at least two doses of the vaccine, added Anthony Fauci.

“We hope that this lesser severity will prevent an increase in hospitalizations, but we are really very worried about the unvaccinated who are vulnerable,” he said.

The scientist also said he was unfavorable to a new vaccination campaign for a 4^e dose, believing that boosters too close together did not allow the immune system to strengthen against the coronavirus.

“Right now, get the booster dose, don’t worry about a fourth dose and maybe you never have to worry about it,” he said.