Omicron accounts for 95% of new U.S. cases

The Covid-19 omicron variant now makes up nearly all sequenced cases in the U.S., driving a massive increase of infections across the nation that threatens to strain hospitals and disrupt daily life, Report informs, referring to CNBC.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Omicron represented 95% of sequenced COVID cases in the U.S. during the week ended New Year’s Day, while the once-dominant delta variant is now only 4.6% of sequenced cases.

The daily COVID-19 cases during the last week in the United States exceeded 491,000, which is 98% more than a week ago. Every day, more than 14,000 people are hospitalized for the coronavirus. The number of deaths from the infection also increased by 5% to 1,200 deaths per day.