CDC boss says COVID-19 hospitalizations are 'comparatively low' as US records most ever cases in a single day

The US is seeing fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations per case than in previous waves, suggesting Omicron is causing "milder disease" than previous variants, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Wednesday. 

The news comes as new daily reported cases reach record highs, topping 277,000 new cases per day, per CDC data. The new wave is being driven by infections from the Omicron variant.

"While cases have substantially increased from last week, hospitalizations and deaths remain comparatively low right now," Rochelle Walensky, CDC director, told reporters at a White House briefing. 

She warned that it was not clear if the trend would last.