Omicron wave of COVID has not yet peaked: U.S. surgeon general
Warning that “the next few weeks will be tough,” Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said Sunday that the omicron surge of coronavirus has yet to peak.
While the outbreak is starting to plateau or decline in parts of the Northeast — a change Murthy hailed as “good news” — the U.S. is still seeing more than 800,000 new COVID cases per day. That’s because the highly contagious omicron variant of the virus has spread throughout the U.S. at different times, he explained.
“The entire country is not moving at the same pace,” the nation’s top doc told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“We shouldn’t expect a national peak in the coming days.”
Murthy lamented the Supreme Court’s recent decision to block a vaccine mandate for big private companies.
“The news about the workplace requirement being blocked was very disappointing,” he told ABC’s “This Week.”
“It was a setback for public health because what these requirements ultimately are helpful for is not just protecting the community at large, but making our workplaces safer for workers as well as for customers.”
On Thursday, the highest court in the land halted a rule from the Biden administration that would have required workers at large businesses to get vaccinated or take weekly COVID tests. But justices allowed a vaccine mandate for most of the country’s health care workers.
Murthy said businesses should implement vaccine mandates on their own.
“There is nothing that stops workplaces from voluntarily putting these requirements in place. In fact, many have done so already,” he said. “A third of the Fortune 100 companies have put these in place, and many more outside have.”
Amid widespread angst over the latest surge in the pandemic, Tom Bossert, homeland security adviser under former President Donald Trump, said he was “struck by how much went right.”
“A lot of people in this country have contributed and played their role, not just public health officials and public health care officials like Dr. Murthy, but average Americans who are all masking and social distancing,” Bossert told ABC’s “This Week” before going on to bash the White House for mask shortages.
Gov. Hochul said on Friday that New York state was “turning the corner” on the winter surge, when case numbers, hospitalizations and the positivity rate dipped for the first time in weeks. The slide appeared to continue through the weekend.
“We’re seeing the number of cases and hospitalizations continue to decline, but we are not out of the woods yet with this winter surge,” Hochul said in a statement. “We need to remain vigilant and continue using the tools to protect ourselves and our loved ones. That means getting vaccinated, getting boosted, getting tested, and staying home if you’re not feeling well.”
As officials continue to feud over COVID-related safety measures in the U.S., France’s parliament on Sunday passed a law barring unvaccinated people from everything from restaurants to sports venues. About nine out of 10 French adults are fully vaccinated. Austria is readying a vaccine mandate for everyone 18 and older starting next month.
With News Wire Services
