The C.D.C. significantly lowers its estimate of Omicron's prevalence nationwide

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2. Not just the world

Last edited Tue Dec 28, 2021, 05:47 PM - Edit history (1)

Philly just surpassed it's average highs. We had been averaging around 30 - 40 cases per capita and are now up to 89 -

Philly is averaging more new COVID-19 cases than at any other point in the pandemic as omicron surges

by Erin McCarthy, Jason Laughlin, and Max Marin
Updated 27 minutes ago



The seven-day average of new coronavirus cases in Philadelphia is the highest it’s ever been as the extremely transmissible omicron variant continues to surge in the region. The city was averaging 1,407 new cases per day as of Monday, surpassing the previous record of 1,235 set on Dec. 8, 2020. The number has shot up in recent weeks, increasing fivefold since Nov. 30. “The concern’s high,” said Patrick Kelly, an intensive care unit nurse at Einstein Medical Center, which is already near capacity with sick patients. “More people are in contact with people who are positive. It’s the same thing with everyone you talk to.” As hospital surges typically lag weeks behind case surges, health officials and residents are holding their collective breath to see whether hospitals here become overwhelmed.

Clarity on how many of those recently infected will need to be hospitalized should come in mid-January, said several experts. While early research out of South Africa, England, and Denmark indicates that the omicron variant may be less likely to send people to the hospital, especially if they are vaccinated and boosted, the speed with which omicron is spreading could still overwhelm providers, even if a smaller percentage of those infected get very sick. Emergency departments are already taxed, with waits to be seen ranging from four to six hours at city hospitals. Should cases continue to rise, hospitals may need to reinstate emergency measures taken during previous surges, including canceling some non-urgent procedures and converting other wards into ICUs.

“We really don’t want to go there like before,” said Rohit Gulati, Einstein Health System’s chief medical officer. “but if it did come to that that’s what we would be forced to do.” Emergency departments are already taxed, with waits to be seen ranging from four to six hours at city hospitals. Should cases continue to rise, hospitals may need to reinstate emergency measures taken during previous surges, including canceling some non-urgent procedures and converting other wards into ICUs.

More than 39,000 Philadelphians were tested at city sites from Dec. 20 to 22, heeding the advice of health officials, including Philadelphia health commissioner Cheryl Bettigole, who urged testing before seeing family or friends for the holidays. Even more people took at-home rapid tests, which are not accounted for in official records. Distressing records are being set in the suburbs, as well, with the seven-day average of new cases per 100,000 people reaching pandemic highs in both the Pennsylvania suburbs and South Jersey. The average in South Jersey is the highest, at 110.8 cases per capita.



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https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/philadelphia-covid-cases-omicron-testing-pa-nj-20211228.html