EXPERTS WARN THAT ONCE OMICRON REPLACES DELTA, "DARK DAYS ARE AHEAD FOR HOSPITALS."

By -


The highly contagious omicron variety has wiped out the delta strain across the United States, but the rise of Covid-19, a seemingly milder variant, has done nothing to alleviate the demand on already overburdened hospitals.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, the omicron variation accounts for around 98 percent of occurrences. That figure is based on statistics from the week ending Jan. 8, and it represents a significant increase over the previous two weeks, when omicron accounted for 71.3 percent of cases.

Omicron's increased transmissibility, combined with some people's built-up immunity to the delta through vaccination and exposure, has favoured the "milder" variant, according to David Wohl, a professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases. However, scientists warn that infection from any Covid-19 form is a big worry for persons who have not been vaccinated or who have other health problems. And, unless something is done, facts point to bleak days ahead for a health-care system that is already overburdened, they say.The health-care system is "collapsing beneath the weight of Covid patients" in many parts of the United States, according to Neil Sehgal, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. "I began to wonder whether this was the week the health-care system would collapse."

According to the most recent CDC Nowcast data, omicron is dominating caseloads across the country. While infections appear to be peaking in areas that were affected first, such as New York City, the majority of cities are still seeing infections break records and hospitalizations increase. Some hospitals in Maryland, where Sehgal works, have resorted to crisis-level care, which means they've cancelled certain elective surgeries and reassigned staff. Similar crises have been proclaimed in hospitals in several other states, including Colorado and Oregon. The Maryland Hospital Association pleaded with the public on Tuesday for better adherence to preventative measures, such as masking, and pushed for immunizations once more, according to Sehgal.

To relieve the strain on local hospitals, several regions are reinstituting safety regulations. Last week, as cases skyrocketed in Utah, Salt Lake County health director Angela Dunn imposed a county-wide mask rule, mandating respirator-type masks such as KN95s, KN90s, or KF94s. The county stated that anyone who required masks would receive them free of charge.

The healthcare system's capabilities must be preserved, according to Sehgal.

"It would be too late if we don't act now and act decisively," Sehgal added. "Today's cases are hospitalizations for next week."

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

RAHUL BAJAJ, AN INDUSTRIALIST, DIED AT THE AGE OF 83

By -
Image
  Rahul Bajaj, an industrialist and former chairman of the Bajaj Group, died on February 12th. He was 83 years old when he died. "I am writing to notify you that Shri Rahul Bajaj, husband of the late Rupa Bajaj and father of Rajiv/Deepa, Sanjiv/Shefali, and Sunaina/Manish, has passed away. In the presence of his closest family members, he died on the afternoon of February 12th, 2022 "The Bajaj Group issued a statement. Rahul Bajaj had pneumonia as well as a heart condition. Dr. Purvez Grant, the managing trustee at Ruby Hall Clinic, said he had been admitted to the hospital for the past month. Rahul Bajaj passed away at 2.30 p.m. today. Rahul Bajaj, who was born on June 10, 1938, was the chairman of the Bajaj Group for more than 40 years. Rahul Bajaj stepped down as chairman of Bajaj Auto in April of last year and is now Chairman Emeritus of the company. In 2001, Rahul Bajaj received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour. Bajaj was also a member of th...
Read more

SPACE AGENCY SAYS CHANDRAYAAN-2 ORBITER DETECTS SOLAR PROTON EVENTS ISRO

By -
Image
  Mumbai: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Wednesday that the Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer (CLASS), a payload on board the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, had discovered solar proton events (SPEs), which considerably increase radiation exposure to humans in space. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs), a tremendous torrent of ionised material and magnetic fields that reach Earth a few days later, causing geomagnetic storms and lighting up the polar sky with auroras, were also observed by the sensor on January 18. According to the ISRO, such multi-point measurements helps in the understanding of propagation and its impact on various planetary systems. Solar flares are dramatic explosions that occasionally spew out energetic particles (called Solar Proton Events or SPEs) into interplanetary space when the Sun is active. The majority of these are high-energy protons that have an influence on space systems and increase radiation exposure to astronauts. According ...
Read more

Sourav Ganguly Tests Positive For Covid, Admitted To Hospital: Report

By -
Image
  BCCI president and previous India captain Sourav Ganguly has been conceded to a city clinic in the wake of testing positive for COVID-19, the cricket board sources said on Tuesday. Ganguly is two immunized and has been voyaging broadly, participating in every expert movement. The 49-year-old was hurried to a medical clinic late on Monday night as a prudent step later his RT-PCR test brought positive back. "He was taken to Woodlands Nursing Home final evening. He has been given medicine and is as of now steady," a BCCI source, who is monitoring Ganguly's wellbeing, told PTI. Ganguly was conceded to clinic two times recently and went through crisis angioplasty subsequent to having some heart issues. His senior sibling Snehasish Ganguly had additionally tried positive for COVID early this year.
Read more