US faces double coronavirus surge as Omicron advances while Delta perseveres

“Our Delta surge is ongoing and, in fact, accelerating. And on top of that, we’re going to add an Omicron surge [in the US],” said Dr Jacob Lemieux, an expert who studies Covid-19 variants.

The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row.

The White House on Wednesday insisted there was no need for a lockdown because vaccines are widely available and appear to offer protection against the worst consequences of the virus. But even if omicron proves milder on the whole than delta, it may disarm some of the lifesaving tools available and put immune-compromised and elderly people at particular risk as it begins a rapid assault on the United States.