Daily COVID-19 case rates have now surpassed delta’s surge. Hospitalizations so far have yet to match

(CNN) — As the highly contagious omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread crossed the U.S. this vacation season, the complaint of regular COVID-19 cases detected has eclipsed those fueled by the delta variant implicit the summer.

COVID-19 hospitalizations stay comparatively little than peaks earlier this year, yet the concern whitethorn worsen arsenic tens of millions of Americans stay unvaccinated, putting them at higher risk for complications and death.

Health and authorities officials person been informing that the omicron variant threatens to overwhelm hospitals and wellness attraction workers.

“Although hospitalizations whitethorn beryllium less, that doesn’t mean zero. There are galore places successful the state wherever hospitalizations present are increasing,” Dr. William Schaffner, a prof astatine Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told CNN’s Poppy Harlow connected Friday.

More than 69,000 Americans were hospitalized with COVID-19 connected Christmas Eve, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. An summation of astir 2% from past week, the fig remains beneath highest hospitalizations during the delta surge and is fractional of the record-high from January.

But experts enactment that hospitalization figures thin to lag with clip arsenic immoderate illnesses worsen, and researchers are still working to determine whether omicron is little apt to origin terrible illness.

Twelve states person seen astatine slightest a 10% uptick successful COVID-19 hospitalizations implicit the past week compared to the previous, HHS information shows. That’s happening against the backdrop of a 48% summation successful COVID-19 cases from past week, bringing the U.S. mean for caller regular cases to 182,682, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Case numbers surpassing the summertime surge is simply a sobering denotation of omicron’s spread, arsenic it rapidly became the most prevalent variant successful the U.S. this week.

And arsenic COVID-19 investigating shortages led to long lines in galore metro areas earlier Christmas, immoderate pockets of the state are reporting surges.

COVID-19 cases successful Los Angeles County person astir tripled successful the past week, reaching 9,998 caller cases for its astir 10 cardinal residents, nationalist wellness information shows. Hospitalizations, however, person remained steady.

New York authorities broke its ain regular grounds of COVID-19 cases connected Friday, erstwhile it reported 44,431 caller cases — a 14% summation from Thursday.

“This is not a surprise,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “This is simply a very, precise contagious variant.”

Hospitalizations successful the authorities are besides rising — but astatine a little rate. Friday information showed that 4,744 New Yorkers were receiving COVID-19 attraction astatine hospitals, marking an uptick of 4.6% from Thursday.

Thousands of Christmas Day flights canceled

The dispersed of the omicron variant tin besides beryllium partially blamed for thousands of formation cancellations crossed the globe during the Christmas holiday when millions of Americans question to gather with household and friends.

As of 11 a.m. ET connected Christmas Day, Delta Air Lines canceled astir 300 flights Saturday, and United Airlines saw astir 240 cancellations, according to the tracking website FlightAware. And portion upwind whitethorn person been a culprit prompting the cancellations, Delta and United person acknowledged they person struggled with staffing owed to the omicron variant.

“Upwards of 150 cancels per time are expected some Saturday and Sunday,” Delta said successful a statement Friday.

JetBlue Airways connected Christmas Day greeting besides canceled 120 flights, accounting for 12% of their scheduled trips, according to FlightAware.

Isolation periods shortened

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday a shortening of the isolation period for wellness attraction workers who trial affirmative for COVID-19. As agelong arsenic they are asymptomatic and aboriginal trial negative, the timeframe distant tin alteration from 10 days to seven.

“That isolation clip tin beryllium chopped further if determination are staffing shortages,” the CDC said successful a statement, pointing to surging COVID-19 cases owed to omicron.

The bureau besides recommended that wellness attraction workers bash not request to quarantine “following high-risk exposures” to the microorganism if they are vaccinated and boosted.

Quarantine refers to those who were exposed but not diagnosed with an infection, portion isolation refers to those who trial positive.

Meanwhile, New York authorities connected Friday launched a much expansive isolation policy, which allows afloat vaccinated indispensable workers who trial affirmative for COVID-19 to instrumentality to enactment aft 5 days if they contiguous nary symptoms and person had nary fever for 72 hours, the politician said.

Hochul didn’t explicitly specify who is considered an indispensable worker, but she explained that it includes those who enactment successful healthcare, sanitation, market stores, pharmacies and restaurants.

CNN aesculapian expert Dr. Leana Wen said Friday that she supports the caller isolation rules.

“I deliberation it’s truly important for america to bash this, due to the fact that astatine this constituent we’re facing a imaginable illness of our indispensable infrastructure,” Wen said. “This is the crushed wherefore for wellness attraction workers it’s truthful important that we sphere the quality of our hospitals to relation — but besides transit and market stores coming into this vacation season. And truthful galore different indispensable workplaces whitethorn really person a captious shortage of workers.”

Preventable hospitalizations outgo billions, estimation finds

As hospitals and wellness officials hole for omicron, further probe is being performed analyzing earlier stages of the pandemic.

During the delta surge that began implicit the summer, determination were astir 690,000 preventable COVID-19 hospitalizations successful the United States that outgo astir $14 cardinal dollars, according to new estimates from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

About 1.2 cardinal infirmary admissions were recorded betwixt June and November 2021, according to information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For their analysis, KFF utilized information from the CDC to estimation that 85% of those hospitalizations were among unvaccinated.

Hospitalizations for which COVID-19 was not the superior origin were excluded, arsenic good arsenic those that could not person been prevented by vaccines arsenic they are not 100% effective.

Using assorted studies, KFF estimated the mean hospitalization to outgo astir $20,000 and preventable COVID-19 hospitalizations totaling $13.8 cardinal dollars implicit the people of six months.

“The monetary outgo of treating unvaccinated radical for COVID-19 is borne not lone by patients but besides by nine much broadly, including taxpayer-funded nationalist programs and backstage security premiums paid by workers, businesses, and idiosyncratic purchasers,” the analysts wrote.

“Though determination was of people a societal outgo to make and administer vaccinations, the vaccines prevention the U.S. wellness strategy wealth successful the longer tally by preventing costly hospitalizations.”