Is the Omicron COVID-19 Surge Starting to Peak?
AllSides Summary
As the number of new COVID-19 cases begins to recede from the record highs of recent weeks, a major question is whether the surge driven by the Omicron variant is starting to subside.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported roughly 874,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, down considerably from the 1.34 million new cases reported several days before on Jan. 10. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said Sunday that some regions such as the Northeast are "starting to see a plateau, and in some cases, an early decline" in cases, but also said that because different areas are seeing different trends, Americans "shouldn’t expect a national peak" in the near future and that the coming weeks "will be tough."
Local news media from California to Texas to Florida are predicting an Omicron peak soon. In recent weeks, national left-rated and right-rated sources have highlighted data suggesting that Omicron is peaking in some parts of the U.S., but differences in coverage persist. Coverage from many left-rated outlets highlighted Murthy's comments, and focused on overcrowded hospitals suffering from staff shortages. Reports from right-rated sources often focused on the declining case numbers and New York's falling COVID-19 hospitalization tally. Writer Jim Geraghty (Lean Right bias) blamed Omicron's continued prevalence on the Biden administration's slow rollout of free COVID-19 tests.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
COVID cases in US drop 47 percent in a week, according to data
Daily COVID-19 cases across the United States have dropped 47 percent in the last week — offering a glimmer of hope that the Omicron winter surge is finally starting to ease.
There were about 717,800 new cases reported in the US on Monday, statistics compiled by John Hopkins University shows.
The average infection count has been sitting at about 800,000 per day over the past week.
It is a sharp drop from the record 1.4 million new cases reported just one week earlier on Jan. 10, according to the data....
From the Left
Omicron not peaking nationally yet, surgeon general says
COVID-19 is sending mixed messages. The U.S. is recording over 800,000 cases a day for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, and hospitalizations are also setting records.
But New York State recorded only about 48,000 cases on Friday, almost a 47% drop from the previous week’s case count, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday.
"We are turning the corner on the winter surge, but we're not through this yet," the governor said in a statement.
Minnesota also saw declining intensive-care hospitalizations for COVID-19, and cases have been falling in Washington...
From the Center
Omicron surge shows signs of easing in states hit early by the fast-spreading variant
Following weeks of soaring infections, the latest Covid surge is showing signs of slowing in a handful of areas hit earliest by the omicron variant — offering a glimmer of hope that this wave is starting to ease.
The U.S. has reported an average of nearly 800,000 cases per day over the past week, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, more than three times the level seen during last winter’s previous record. But in a handful of states and cities, particularly on the East Coast, cases appear to...
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