Bloomberg: "US Omicron Variant New Cases Surpass 1 Million" (Summary)

Jones Hopkins University Aggregate Citation Report
Nearly Double Compared to 4 Days Ago "Abnormal Level"
Consecutive Flight Cancellations... Impact on Schools, Hospitals, and Businesses

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] As the Omicron variant spreads rapidly across the United States, the number of new COVID-19 cases has surpassed 1 million per day. This is one of the highest levels worldwide, impacting the aviation industry, schools, hospitals, and businesses across the entire country.

Bloomberg News reported on the 4th (local time), citing data from Johns Hopkins University, that on the 3rd (local time), the daily number of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. exceeded 1 million. This figure is nearly double the 590,000 cases recorded just four days earlier.

The number of new cases in the U.S. has been breaking records since the outbreak of COVID-19. After reaching 251,989 cases on January 11 last year and then declining, the number rose again to nearly 300,000 by the end of last year. Outside the U.S., India recorded the highest number of new cases, with about 414,000 on May 7 last year. Bloomberg noted, "The number of infections in the U.S. has deviated significantly from normal levels," and added, "Official government survey results have underestimated the true figures."

Although the increase in COVID-19 infections has not directly led to a rise in deaths, the impact on the American public is being felt nationwide. The number of people in home quarantine has surged, and flights have been canceled. The rising trend in infections has also caused a series of issues, including school and office closures, hospital bed shortages, and supply chain disruptions.

Businesses have also been affected. Investment banks (IB) such as Goldman Sachs, which had enforced the strictest rules on office attendance, have now surrendered to the spread of the Omicron variant. Goldman Sachs recently issued an email instructing employees not to come to the office until the 18th of this month. JPMorgan Chase allowed employees to choose whether to work from home during the first two weeks of this year, and Citigroup will decide the timing of office returns based on the Omicron situation. Big tech companies like Apple and Google have also postponed their planned office return guidelines scheduled for early this year.

The U.S. government is considering loosening some infection policies to help its citizens better cope with the current stage of the pandemic. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shortened the isolation period for asymptomatic individuals who test positive for COVID-19 to five days. However, asymptomatic individuals must receive a negative test result before going out again.

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