U.S. COVID cases probably have not yet peaked --CDC Director

CDC chief says U.S. COVID cases likely have not yet peaked The Omicron-driven surge in U.S. COVID-19 cases has likely not topped out yet, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday as schools, hospitals and businesses struggle with rising caseloads. Reuters Reuters

WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The Omicron-driven surge in U.S. COVID-19 cases has likely not topped out yet, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday as schools, hospitals and businesses struggle with rising caseloads.

"I don't believe we've seen the peak yet here in the United States," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told NBC News' "Today" program.

Health officials have urged Americans not to get complacent in the face of the highly-transmissible variant, noting that even if it turns out to induce milder disease the fact that it is more contagious means a higher volume of cases, including more severe ones. read more

The United States reported 662,000 new COVID cases on Thursday, the fourth highest daily U.S. total ever recorded and just three days after a record of nearly 1 million cases was reported, according to a Reuters tally.

The seven-day average for new cases set a record for a 10th day in a row at 597,000 new infections, while COVID hospitalizations reached nearly 123,000 and are approaching the record of over 132,000 set last year, the data showed.

Deaths, an indicator that lags behind hospitalizations, remain fairly steady at 1,400 a day, according to the tally.

"We are still seeing those numbers rising," Walensky said, noting that while cases outpaced hospitalizations and deaths, rising hospitalizations were primarily among the unvaccinated.

Rising cases have forced hospital systems in nearly half of U.S. states to postpone elective surgeries. read more  ...

While the United States is fighting a surge right now, the country will have to face the long-term impacts, Walensky said.

"We are definitely looking at a time ahead of us where COVID... will be an endemic virus," she told NBC.

Officials continue to press vaccinations as the best protection against COVID, although federal mandates requiring them have become politically contentious.

Later on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court will weigh requests to block President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for larger employers and a separate similar requirement for healthcare facilities. read more