Omicron threat: US President Joe Biden warns of ‘winter of severe illness and death’ for unvaccinated

At least 36 states have reported confirmed Omicron cases, officials from the Centers for Disease Control said on Wednesday.

Team Newsable

Washington D.C., First Published Dec 17, 2021, 10:03 AM IST | Last Updated Dec 17, 2021, 10:03 AM IST

US President Joe Biden on Thursday warned the Omicron variant of the coronavirus will start to spread much more rapidly in the United States and urged Americans to get vaccinated or boosted as a winter of severe illness and death awaits the unvaccinated.

As top health advisers updated the President on the pandemic, Biden also said it is past time for people to get booster shots and urged them to do so as quickly as possible. “The only real protection is to get your shot,” he said, predicting “a winter of severe illness and death” for the unvaccinated.

At least 36 states have reported confirmed Omicron cases, officials from the Centers for Disease Control said on Wednesday. “If you’re vaccinated and have your booster shot, you're protected from severe illness and death,” Biden said.

Biden said the Omicron variant had not spread as fast in the United States as it could have thanks to his administration's policies. “It’s here now. It is spreading and it's going to increase.” “Get your booster shot. It's critically important,” he said.

Over the past month, new cases have risen nationwide nearly 40% to a seven-day average of 121,000 new infections per day, according to a Reuters tally.

As of December 1, the average of new daily cases of infection was 86,000. On December 14, it had shot up to 117,000 -- an increase of 35 percent.

Health ministers from the G7 on Thursday called for international cooperation in the face of the Omicron strain, which they called the “biggest current threat to global public health.”

The United States, the hardest-hit country in the world, is currently averaging 1,150 Covid-19 deaths per day, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Americans do seem to be in for a rough winter.

Major US universities are reverting to classes and tests online to try to halt the spread of the virus. Broadway shows are being cancelled because of more and more positive tests among drama companies.

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