CDC study highlights speed with which omicron variant infected Americans, and
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is highlighting just how many Americans have been infected with COVID-19, and how significantly the number has increased since the arrival of the highly infectious omicron variant late last year.
The report published on Tuesday found case numbers were particularly striking in children, with three out of every four being infected, sending the total to 75% in February from about 45% in December, as the Associated Press reported.
Among Americans of all ages, roughly 34% had signs of prior infection in December, rising to 58% in February.
The researchers examined blood samples from more than 200,000 Americans and looked for virus-fighting antibodies arising from infections, not vaccines.
“I did expect it to increase. I did not expect it to increase quite this much,” said Dr. Kristie Clarke, co-leader of a CDC team that tracks the extent of coronavirus infections.
The older people were, the less likely they had evidence of past infections, the study found. For those 65 and older, 19% had signs of prior infection in December and 33% did in February. That may be because older adults have higher vaccination rates and they may be more likely to take other COVID-19 precautions, such as wearing masks and avoiding crowds, Clarke said.
CDC officials stressed that the previously infected should still get COVID-19 vaccines, as they remain the best protection against severe disease and death.
COVID-19 cases are rising again in the U.S., driven by the BA.2 variant of omicron, along with two subvariants that appear to be even more infectious. The two, named BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1, were highlighted by health officials in New York state recently.
The U.S. is averaging 50,791 cases a day, according to a New York Times tracker, up 61% from two weeks ago. Cases are rising in almost all states and territories, in some cases more than doubling since the start of April.
The country is averaging 15,908 hospitalizations a day, up 6% from two weeks ago, although still close to the lowest since the first weeks of the pandemic. The daily death toll has fallen below 400 to 362 on average.
But the official death toll is expected to reach 1 million within weeks, and experts are warning that with many other parts of the world still unvaccinated, new variants may emerge.
Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive Tuesday for COVID-19 on rapid and PCR tests, said her press secretary, Kirsten Allen, in a statement.
Harris “has exhibited no symptoms, will isolate and continue to work from the vice president’s residence. She has not been a close contact to the president or first lady due to their respective recent travel schedules,” Allen added.
Meanwhile, Pfizer
PFE,
and German partner BioNTech
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have asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize a COVID-19 booster dose for children between the ages of 5 and 11. Boosters are authorized for teens and adults.
The companies said data from a Phase 2/3 clinical trial yielded no new safety concerns when children in this age group received a booster six months after completing the primary series of shots.
Coronavirus Update: MarketWatch’s daily roundup has been curating and reporting all the latest developments every weekday since the coronavirus pandemic began
Other COVID-19 news you should know about:
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