Federal Officials Say Early Omicron Data Suggests a Less Deadly Wave
The New York Times
Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci cautioned that hospitalizations and deaths could be lagging behind case counts.
WASHINGTON — Top federal health officials emphasized on Wednesday that data on skyrocketing coronavirus cases in the United States and from other countries reinforced early signs that the highly contagious Omicron variant was milder and less lethal than previous variants, even as it threatened to overwhelm health systems already on the brink from earlier surges.
Their comments at a White House news conference reflected a growing urgency in the administration to reassure Americans anxious about another winter of isolation as it races to respond to worsening outbreaks across the country.
Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that as cases increased by about 60 percent over the past week, to around 240,000 each day, hospital admissions and deaths had remained “comparatively low,” hinting at a less deadly wave of the virus.
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