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The United States is on track to break its record for covid-19 hospitalizations as early as Tuesday, with no end in sight to increasing caseloads, declining staff levels, and the problems of a medical system attempting to deliver care in the midst of an unprecedented coronavirus spike.
The total of 141,385 persons in U.S. hospitals with covid-19 on Monday dropped just short of the previous high of 142,273 established on Jan. 14, 2021, during the pandemic’s previous peak in this country.
The highly transmissible omicron variety, on the other hand, threatens to shatter that standard. If models of omicron’s spread are correct — and even the academics who create them agree to forecasting is tough during a pandemic — present numbers may appear insignificant in a matter of weeks. Total hospitalizations are expected to be in the 275,000 to 300,000 range when the top is reached, which is expected later this month.
Colorado, Oregon, Louisiana, Maryland, and Virginia had declared public medical emergencies or allowed crisis standards of care as of Monday, allowing hospitals and ambulances to limit treatment when they are unable to meet demand.
Nurses and other hospital personnel continued to become ill, resulting in high nurse-to-patient ratios in several areas.
The omicron strain of the virus continues to cause fewer chronic conditions and fewer deaths, and vaccinations and boosters continue to be effective against both. However, the sheer number of instances among unvaccinated persons, as well as breakthrough cases, was already putting a strain on intensive care units and hospital wards, even if there are fewer people in the ICU than during the peak in January of last year. Deaths have also lagged behind increases in the number of infections by a few weeks during the pandemic. These figures may also grow in the coming days.
