Is Omicron on its way out? Plus more COVID-19 news
AP, CNN
Posted:
Updated:
Scientists are seeing signals that COVID-19′s alarming omicron wave may have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the U.S., at which point cases may start dropping off dramatically.
The reason: The variant has proved so wildly contagious that it may already be running out of people to infect, just a month and a half after it was first detected in South Africa.
“It’s going to come down as fast as it went up,” said Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.
But, health officials and experts are increasingly saying it’s time to upgrade your face masks, especially in light of the omicron surge.
California’s public health director and health officer, Dr. Tomás Aragón, says it’s important to improve the fit of masks and their filtration — making enhancements that go beyond old, loose, cloth face coverings that became popular in 2020. Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the University of California, San Francisco’s Department of Medicine, agreed. Since omicron is twice as infectious, Wachter wrote, “an encounter that you could have tolerated for Delta may well infect you (with) Omicron. Knowing this, it’s worth upgrading the protection you get from your mask.”
Shortages at U.S. grocery stores have grown more acute in recent weeks as new problems — like the fast-spreading omicron variant and severe weather — have piled on to the supply chain struggles and labor shortages that have plagued retailers since the coronavirus pandemic began.
The shortages are widespread, impacting produce and meat as well as packaged goods such as cereal. And they’re being reported nationwide. U.S. groceries typically have 5% to 10% of their items out of stock at any given time; right now, that unavailability rate is hovering around 15%, according to Consumer Brands Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman.
Shutterstock
Photo Credit: eldar nurkovic / Shutterstock
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Americans to reassess their living arrangements, work situations, how they travel, and how they spend their free time. It has also impacted how they manage at home when faced with a COVID-19 infection or exposure in order to keep others safe.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that people infected with COVID-19 self-isolate at home and stay in a specific “sick room” and use a separate bathroom if possible. However, many American households do not have enough rooms or amenities to quarantine effectively. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, it is estimated that at least 11.5 million households, or 13.1% of multi-person households, are unable to effectively quarantine due to not having enough bedrooms, a full kitchen, or complete plumbing in their homes.
CDC data shows that minorities are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death when compared to non-Hispanic Whites. This is due to a number of factors, including the increased prevalence of certain underlying health conditions among minorities, unequal access to health care, and increased exposure to the virus due to occupation. American Indian or Alaska Natives are at particularly high risk of both COVID-19 infections and adverse outcomes. In comparison to non-Hispanic Whites, they are 1.6 times as likely to become infected with COVID-19, 3.3 times as likely to be hospitalized, and 2.2 times as likely to die. Other minorities, especially Hispanics and Blacks, are also at a much greater risk of infection, hospitalization, and death.
Not only are minority households at greater risk of COVID-19 infection and adverse outcomes, but they are also less likely than non-Hispanic White households to be able to quarantine effectively when considering the availability of separate bedrooms, the presence of a full kitchen, and complete plumbing. Over one in four Hispanic households are unable to quarantine effectively due to their living arrangement; similarly high rates are observed in other non-White communities. In contrast, less than one out of every 10 non-Hispanic White households lack the basic necessities to quarantine an individual effectively.
Locations with large minority populations and expensive housing are more likely to face challenges in this area. At the state level, residents of California and New York are most disadvantaged when it comes to taking effective quarantine measures. It’s estimated that more than 20% of multi-person households don’t have sufficient space to isolate an infected member of the home if needed. At the opposite end of the spectrum, residents in less expensive and less diverse states like Wyoming and West Virginia are more likely to have the necessary space to do so.
To find the metropolitan areas where residents are unable to quarantine, researchers at Smartest Dollar analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The researchers ranked metro areas according to the percentage of multi-person households without the space or facilities needed to effectively quarantine an individual. For the purpose of this analysis, this means having complete plumbing, a full kitchen, and enough bedrooms to isolate an individual without forcing the remaining household members to sleep with more than two people in a bedroom. Researchers also included the percentage of the population that is not non-Hispanic White in each location and the poverty rate.
Here are the metros where residents lack the space or facilities needed to quarantine.
Shutterstock
Photo Credit: LHBLLC / Shutterstock
Percentage of households unable to quarantine: 14.2%
