In previous articles, we have already said that the omicron strain is a danger to any economy. If earlier the main danger was in quarantine, in which the economy simply stopped, now it lies in the fact that too many people at the same time may find themselves in self-isolation or the hospital. In America, 12 million people have been infected in the last month. This is three times more than at the highest peak of all time before. Over the past week, the number of hospitalizations in the States has doubled, and the number of patients in the hospital at the same time is the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. Thus, as we can see, omicron can hardly be called a safe virus. Some people still have complications, and they end up in the hospital. In addition, not all people are vaccinated. And unvaccinated patients carry the new strain more heavily than vaccinated ones. Therefore, the total number of patients, even taking into account a smaller percentage of the severe course of the disease, is still higher than with the "delta strain".
On this occasion, Anthony Fauci, the chief infectious disease specialist of the United States, spoke yesterday. He said that vaccinated people, most likely, will also not be able to avoid infection with omicron, since the virus is very aggressive, but the vaccination will protect them from the severe course of the disease and death. "Omicron, with its incredible, unprecedented degree of distribution, will eventually find almost everyone," Fauci said. "It is possible that many of them, with some exceptions, will survive the disease well enough, in the sense that they will not be hospitalized and will not die," the infectious disease specialist added. At the same time, Janet Woodcock, deputy director of the US Food and Drug Administration, said at a Senate hearing that it is necessary to strengthen the medical system in the near future, as an even greater influx of patients is expected. She also stated that most people will get infected with COVID and a certain part will end up in hospitals that are already overcrowded. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the supply of medicines and be able to provide treatment and a bed for every sick American.
At the same time, the World Health Organization said that up to 50% of the population in the European Union could become infected over the next two months. According to Dr. Hans Kluge, Omicron is now heading from West to East in an avalanche wave. Only in the first week of 2022, the number of infections amounted to more than 7 million, and this number has doubled in the last two weeks. Europe is also expecting a further increase in the number of infections and hospitalizations. The WHO also stated that a complete ban on movement will not stop the spread of the new strain. Thus, probably, we are all waiting for the next few difficult months. And no one knows which strain of "coronavirus" will appear next in the world.
