LONDON (AP) — England’s National Health Service is building temporary structures at hospitals around the country to prepare for a possible surge of COVID-19 patients as the highly transmissible Omicron variant fuels a new wave of infections.
The U.K. reported a record 183,037 confirmed new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, 32% more than the previous day. While early data suggests omicron is less likely to cause serious illness than earlier variants, public health officials think the sheer number of infections could lead to a jump in hospitalizations and deaths.
The number of people in England hospitalized with COVID-19 increased to 10,462 on Wednesday from 7,366 on Dec. 24, government figures show. Wednesday’s number was the highest since March 1. The figure is still well below the peak of 34,336 recorded on Jan. 18.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resisted implementing new restrictions on business and social interactions during the holiday season, instead emphasizing an expanded vaccine booster program to control the spread of omicron.
Mass vaccination centers at sports stadiums and museums have reopened after research showed that two doses of the vaccine weren’t enough to protect against omicron.
Across the U.K., almost 58% of people ages 12 and over has received booster shots, including 325,087 who received a third dose on Tuesday, according to the latest government data.
In response, the NHS will begin setting up “surge hubs” this week at eight hospitals around England, each with the capacity to treat about 100 patients. Staff are preparing plans to create as many as 4,000 “super surge” beds should they be needed, the NHS said Thursday.
OLYMPIA – The state of Washington is seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases, and transmission is expected to rise in the coming weeks. While it is still too early to tell how much of the increase is due to Omicron, epidemiologists with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) agree that Omicron prevalence is increasing and is most likely the dominant strain.
While additional data are still being sent to the state, the largest single-day report of new cases so far occurred on December 24, with 6,140 new COVID-19 cases. Despite a recent increase in testing around the holidays, public health officials say the increase in new cases significantly outpaces the increase in testing. The number of cases is expected to continue to increase through the new year.
The spike in cases, together with the first cases of the flu this season, will likely mean increased hospitalizations in the near future, raising concerns about the state’s health care system. Washington state’s hospitals and clinics are already stretched and strained due to an exhausted and understaffed workforce who have been caring for more patients than ever before.
About Omicron
State Epidemiologist for Communicable Diseases, Scott Lindquist, MD, MPH, says Omicron likely has overtaken the Delta variant in Washington or will very soon base on sequencing information from the University of Washington, our state, and the CDC.
“What we are seeing now is the leading edge. Our focus is on getting a better picture of how and where Omicron is spreading,” he said. “It is not just about counting Omicron cases. It is about sampling the entire state, so we can understand the prevalence of the variant beyond high-population areas. Washington's state has one of the most extensive genotypic systems in the U.S., which allows us to track a variant’s spread faster than many other states.”
Studies are ongoing to determine the effectiveness of vaccines and therapeutic treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies and oral antivirals, against Omicron. Based on initial information, it appears that most monoclonal antibodies may not be as effective against this variant, although a medication that the FDA is allowing for emergency use to treat COVID-19, may be more effective against Omicron.
Early results also indicate that the initial vaccine series may be less effective at preventing infection with the Omicron variant, but still offer substantial protection against infection and severe illness. Receiving a booster dose may improve protection against severe disease with Omicron.
Risk of hospitalization and death from Omicron
While it is too early to predict hospitalizations and deaths as a result of the Omicron variant, the widespread availability of vaccines and boosters lowers the risk for hospitalization and death for those who have received their full vaccination and booster shots and helps preserve our health system and hospital capacity.
In Washington state, the COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, and Deaths by Vaccination Status weekly report indicates that:Unvaccinated 12-34 year-olds are 12 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, compared with fully vaccinated 12-34 year-olds.
- In Unvaccinated 35-64 year-olds, the likelihood of being hospitalized with COVID-19 is 18 times higher than those in the same age group who have been fully vaccinated.
- Unvaccinated adults 65 and older are 13 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, compared with fully vaccinated 65 year-olds and older.
Surges in hospitalizations and deaths are usually seen weeks following a spike in cases.
As of December 27, 2021, 37.4 percent of the state’s residents have not been vaccinated. Nearly 10,000 Washingtonians have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
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