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Top infectious diseases expert Dr. Faheem Younus sounding an alarm pointed out that all ventilators in his hospital are being used by COVID patients and further urged people to take all the necessary precautions.
On Monday, the United States reported nearly 1 million new Covid infections, the highest daily tally of any country in the world and nearly double the previous U.S. peak set a week ago as the spread of the Omicron variant showed no signs of slowing, a Reuters report said.
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has risen nearly 50% in the past week and now exceeds 100,000, according to data collected by Reuters, marking the first time that threshold has been reached in a year.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had earlier pointed out Omicron was estimated to account for 95.4% of cases identified in the United States as of Jan. 1
Taking a note of this spike, Dr. Younus wrote on Twitter, 100% of ventilators in my hospitals are being used by COVID patients today.
Mask up. Get boosted. Avoid gatherings, he added.
Younus further warned that things may turn gloomy for people who are taking the threat of the latest omicron variant lightly. Dr Younus rubbished the idea that Omicron is "the best vaccine".
“Please don’t fall for it. Wear a mask and avoid gathering. In a few weeks this wave will recede," said the head of infectious diseases at the University of Maryland.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a 30-day state of emergency on Tuesday and mobilized 1,000 National Guard members to pandemic response operations as COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state hit a record high of more than 3,000, up more than five-fold in seven weeks, Hogan said.
"The truth is that the next four to six weeks will be the most challenging time of the entire pandemic," Hogan told reporters. He said projections show COVID hospitalizations could surpass 5,000, far higher than Maryland's previous peak of 1,952 last year.
(With inputs from agencies)
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