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Cases are at a pandemic high and therefore all of us are worried about Omicron, its impact on our communities and the hospitals that serve us. Concurrently we try to understand testing options as we look for a test. Therefore, we start with The New York Times State of the Virus from Jan. 11, 2022, then urge a listen and read of a podcast and article that follow that cover the hospital crisis:

  • With the Omicron variant spreading rapidly, the country is averaging more than 700,000 new cases a day, far more than at any previous point in the pandemic. Omicron appears to cause less severe illness than prior forms of the virus, but has contributed to upticks in hospitalizations.
  • Reports of new infections are rising steeply almost everywhere in the country. Case rates are highest in Northeastern states, including New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
  • Hospitalizations of people with the virus have increased more than 80 percent over the last two weeks, surpassing the previous record. Many Covid patients are critically ill, but that count includes other so-called incidental infections of people with minor symptoms who are hospitalized for reasons other than the virus.
  • Case numbers have started to fall in recent days in Washington, D.C., one of the first places in the country to see a major Omicron surge. Hospitalizations in the Washington area remain at record levels.
  • Deaths have started to rise nationally. More than 1,600 deaths are being announced most days, an increase of more than 30 percent since late December.
  • With many people testing themselves on at-home tests, and other infections going undetected, reported cases are an undercount of actual infections, but indicate how the virus is spreading. Case trends help officials, businesses and residents assess risk and make decisions. Hospitalizations show strain on health care systems and can indicate the severity of recent infections.

We stay at The New York Times and link you to the The Daily Podcast, which reports, “Despite its reputation for mild illness, the Omicron variant is fueling a staggering rise in hospitalizations. Here’s what doctors are seeing;” please listen or read the transcript to get a clear understanding of what is happening in our hospitals. We encourage you to immediately read The Atlantic’s Ed Yong, who reports in "Hospitals are in serious trouble" that “Omicron is inundating a health-care system that was already buckling under the cumulative toll of every previous surge.”
  
Now to the data: On Jan. 11, 2022, in the U.S. the seven-day daily average number of new cases is 541,613, which is a 14-day increase of 254 percent, with a total of 57,041,530 cases. The seven-day daily average number of new hospitalizations was 105,139; the 14-day change in hospitalization was an increase of 51 percent. The seven-day daily average number of new deaths was 1,323, the 14-day change in new deaths was a decrease of three percent, and the U.S. death total has reached 828,426. Seventy one percent of the U.S. population over the age of 12 is fully vaccinated, 84 percent have had one jab, 95 percent of the population who are over 65 have had at least one jab. 

Skim or dive deeper through the links to the U.S. and select European data. And immediately following that we have the great podcast explainer that answers all your testing questions in a link to In the Bubble's "Omicron and testing: Your Top 20 questions answered (with Michael Mina)." Host Andy Slavitt tells us: “Testing is one of the most important and misunderstood elements of the pandemic” … bringing it all into focus with Michael Mina, Chief Science Officer at eMed and the go-to testing expert. Slavitt claims and we agree that “After listening to this episode, you'll understand when you should test, how each of the three main types of tests work, when more tests should be available, and much more.”

This week's issue offers The New York Times summary comparative data from Jan. 12, 2022 for Canada, U.K., France, Italy, Spain, and Germany and adds a summary look at the Omicron's progression in South Africa, ground zero of that variant:
  • An average of 38,904 cases per day were reported in Canada in the last week. Cases have increased by 132 percent from the average two weeks ago. Deaths have increased by 374 percent.
  • An average of 155,868 cases per day were reported in the United Kingdom in the last week. Cases have increased by 37 percent from the average two weeks ago. Deaths have increased by 184 percent.
  • An average of 283,711 cases per day were reported in France in the last week. Cases have increased by 224 percent from the average two weeks ago. Deaths have increased by 20 percent.
  • An average of 172,559 cases per day were reported in Italy in the last week. Cases have increased by 277 percent from the average two weeks ago. Deaths have increased by 48 percent.
  • An average of 115,279 cases per day were reported in Spain in the last week. Cases have increased by 80 percent from the average two weeks ago. Deaths have increased by 90 percent.
  • An average of 52,846 cases per day were reported in Germany in the last week. Cases have increased by 131 percent from the average two weeks ago. Deaths have increased by 9 percent.
  • An average of 7,220 cases per day were reported in South Africa in the last week. Cases have decreased by 45 percent from the average two weeks ago. Deaths have increased by 227 percent. Since the beginning of the pandemic, at least 1 in 17 residents have been infected, a total of 3,534,131 reported cases. At least 1 in 632 residents have died from the coronavirus, a total of 92,649 deaths. December 2021 was the month with the highest average cases, while January 2021 was the month with the highest average deaths in South Africa.

We assume many of you have read or heard about the “break from strategy” offered by Doctors Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, Michael Osterholm, and Celine Gounder’s inJAMA's Viewpoint,
"A national strategy for the “New Normal” of life with Covid."

The Atlantic's Sarah Zhang reports in "Omicron is forcing us to rethink mild Covid. The staggering number of infections among the vaccinated is changing Americans’ pandemic mindset."
 
Post going to press last week we read in The New York Times that “the French president was seeking to tap into a rich political vein: Anger among the majority of vaccinated people at a minority who refuse to get vaccinated and disproportionately occupy hospital beds.” We link you to what we believe is the best of the reporting on Macron and other European leaders doubling down on Vaccine mandates and the political impact of that in "Using harsh language, Macron issues a challenge to the unvaccinated."

Over the recent holiday, the great StatNews reporter Helen Branswell took time to review and then write "10 lessons I’ve learned from the Covid-19 pandemic;" we link and ask you to read this great article. We close with a recent StatNews article by reporter Eric Boodman that examines the inequity in Covid supplies represented by one Florida hospital.

With Rebecca back in the one-third-empty LA County classrooms and Jerry locked down, we offer Revitalize for January 13, 2022:
Revitalize: The week in health-care news you need
This Covid surge feels different. Despite its reputation for mild illness, the Omicron variant is fueling a staggering rise in hospitalizations. Here’s what doctors are seeing.

Hospitals are in serious trouble. Omicron is inundating a health-care system that was already buckling under the cumulative toll of every previous surge.

Omicron and testing: Your Top 20 questions answered (with Michael Mina). Testing is one of the most important and misunderstood elements of the pandemic. Andy brings it all into focus with Michael Mina, Chief Science Officer at eMed and the go-to testing expert. They break down the complex interplay between infections, symptoms, and the different kinds of tests, and answer your top 20 questions about COVID-19 testing. After listening to this episode, you'll understand when you should test, how each of the three main types of tests work, when more tests should be available, and much more.

A national strategy for the “New Normal” of life with Covid.
Omicron is forcing us to rethink mild Covid. The staggering number of infections among the vaccinated is changing Americans’ pandemic mindset.
 
Using harsh language, Macron issues a challenge to the unvaccinated.
The French president was seeking to tap into a rich political vein: anger among the majority of vaccinated people at a minority who refuse to get vaccinated and disproportionately occupy hospital beds.

10 lessons I’ve learned from the Covid-19 pandemic.

A tiny Florida company got more of a scarce Covid therapy than some big hospitals, raising equity questions.
Jerry Seelig, CEO
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