Covid: The United States reported a record 1 million cases, with the peak still to come
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More than one million new COVID cases have been reported in the United States, with officials warning that the peak of a fast-spreading Omicron outbreak is still to come.
According to Johns Hopkins University, a total of 1,080,211 new cases were reported on Monday, the biggest one-day tally of new cases anywhere on the globe.
In the United States, the Omicron variation accounts for the majority of instances.
Despite the influx, President Joe Biden, who has been chastised for his response, has asked for schools to remain open.
While death and hospital admission rates in the United States have been far lower in recent weeks than during prior illness outbreaks, the number of hospital admissions has been continuously increasing.
Due to the rapid spread of Omicron and the resulting staffing difficulties, school districts across the country have postponed the return of children to classes after the Christmas break. Concerns have also been raised about the difficulties of obtaining rapid examinations for students and teachers.
In Detroit, Michigan, for example, where the infection rate has reached an all-time high of 36%, city school officials have declared that schools will be closed until Thursday.
Atlanta, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Newark, among other big school districts, have announced postponements or a return to virtual classes. Schools in New York City, the country’s largest school district, stayed open. Mayor Eric Adams stated on Monday that school is the safest environment for our children.
Some 8,652 people are reported to have died from coronavirus in the past week, according to Johns Hopkins.
The previous high-water mark for infection cases in the United States was 590,000 instances, which was set four days ago. Outside of the United States, the largest number was recorded during India’s Delta outbreak in May 2021, when 414,188 people were confirmed to have the disease. Although studies show that Omicron is milder than the formerly dominant Delta variety, hospitals are nevertheless concerned that the sheer volume of cases caused by the highly contagious Omicron could overwhelm them.