The Pan American Well being Group mentioned Wednesday it expects omicron to turn into the predominant COVID-19 variant within the Americas within the coming weeks, the place confirmed circumstances have reached document ranges.
The well being company added that though healthcare programs face challenges with rising hospitalizations, vaccination has meant that COVID-19 deaths haven’t elevated on the similar fee as infections.
“Whereas delta remains to be inflicting new infections within the Americas, based mostly on present developments, omicron is on observe to turn into the dominant pressure in our area,” Carissa Etienne, director of the company identified by its initials PAHO, mentioned throughout a web-based information convention.
Learn extra:
Omicron now outpacing Delta as globally dominant COVID-19 pressure, WHO says
PAHO mentioned coronavirus virus infections throughout the Americas nearly doubled to six.1 million on Jan. 8, from 3.4 million circumstances on Jan. 1. The variety of circumstances was 250% larger than a 12 months earlier, when there have been 2.4 million.
It mentioned that within the first week of 2022, deaths associated to COVID-19 within the Americas elevated 31% from the earlier week.
The omicron variant, which spreads extra simply, has been detected in 42 of the 56 nations and territories of the Americas.
The US is reporting the best variety of circumstances, whereas Canada can be registering a rebound. Within the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic have seen the best will increase, whereas Belize and Panama have seen rises in Central America.
In South America, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil have all registered rising numbers of circumstances, with Argentina and Paraguay reporting a 300% improve in coronavirus circumstances over the previous week, in keeping with the well being group.
Omicron can infect vaccinated individuals and those that have already come down with the virus, however some research point out that it’s much less more likely to trigger extra extreme sickness than the delta variant and that immunization and booster doses supply sturdy safety.
However PAHO warned that omicron can nonetheless be deadly among the many unvaccinated and immunocompromised and urged nations to proceed with their vaccination and prevention campaigns.
Virtually 60% of the inhabitants of Latin America and the Caribbean has been totally vaccinated, however some 10 nations within the area — particularly within the Caribbean — didn’t attain the purpose of 40% set by the World Well being Group for the tip of 2021. That purpose is 70% for the center of this 12 months.
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