Major Countries Report Highest Daily New Omicron Cases... US Research Team Predicts 3 Billion Infections by Early Next Year

Microscopic image of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) taken by the Russian State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology 'Vector'. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] The global resurgence of COVID-19 is intensifying. The daily number of new COVID-19 cases in major countries is reaching record highs.

According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 23rd (local time), the seven-day average daily COVID-19 cases in the United States as of the previous day was 168,981, surpassing the peak of the Delta variant last September, which averaged 165,000 cases per day. The highest number since the pandemic began in the U.S. was 248,209 cases on January 12, during the severe second wave.

The rapid transmission speed of the Omicron variant is being credited with the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. As the Omicron variant spreads aggressively worldwide, a study has predicted that 140 million new cases could occur in the U.S. over the two months of January and February next year. According to USA Today, a research team from Washington University School of Medicine revealed this through predictive modeling, forecasting that daily new infections could peak at 2.8 million by the end of January next year.

Additionally, the research team predicted that outside the U.S., approximately 3 billion new cases could occur globally during January and February next year, with new cases peaking around mid-January at 35 million per day.

In the United Kingdom, the number of new cases reached 119,789 on the 23rd, approaching 120,000. This is the highest daily case count ever recorded. Among these, 16,817 were confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant. In France, the daily new cases reached about 88,000, setting a new record. The daily death toll was 179, and the number of patients admitted to intensive care units reached 3,208. Italy also recorded a new daily high with 44,600 cases on the same day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.