'Pandemic End' COVID-19 Resurgence in the US... "Serious Variants Still Possible"

Passengers are waiting in line in front of the Delta Air Lines counter. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] As COVID-19 cases rise again in the United States, which had declared the end of the pandemic, some experts are urging continued vigilance against serious variants.

Recently, The New York Times (NYT) reported that new COVID-19 cases are increasing in 47 out of 50 states.

According to NYT's own data, as of the 29th of last month (local time), the 7-day average daily new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. reached 56,869, a 52% increase compared to two weeks earlier. This is more than double the figure recorded on the 3rd of the same month (26,992), which was the lowest since the Omicron variant surge.

This surge appears to be driven by the stealth Omicron (BA.2), a subvariant of Omicron that has recently become dominant in the U.S. In states such as West Virginia and Utah, new cases have more than doubled over the past two weeks.

Additionally, the average daily number of hospitalized patients is rising in about 30 states. Until mid-last month, the number had dropped to 14,000, the lowest since April 2020, the early pandemic period, but by the 29th, it had increased by 14% to approximately 16,890 compared to two weeks prior. In the U.S. Northeast, where the increase in cases was first observed, hospitalizations have risen by more than 40% in the past two weeks.

It is also estimated that the actual number of new cases is higher than reported figures. Many states have closed large testing sites, and most people are using home test kits, which are not included in official counts.

Consequently, some warn that vigilance against new variants should not be relaxed, emphasizing that the pandemic is not yet over.

On the 29th of last month, The Washington Post (WP) criticized the relaxed attitude toward COVID-19 prevention in the U.S. in an editorial titled "Is the pandemic really over?"

WP warned that "no one knows when another variant will appear, whether it will be more contagious, or more severe," and that COVID-19 variants can still emerge. It added that people who have not received vaccines or booster shots remain vulnerable to infection.

WP also argued that masks should be worn in crowded and enclosed spaces. In the U.S., mask mandates have effectively been lifted both indoors and outdoors.

WP stated, "The pandemic is not over in many parts of the world," noting that "China is battling a major outbreak, and many poor countries have yet to vaccinate their populations." It pointed out that "while the severe phase of the pandemic may be easing in the U.S., the virus has not disappeared."

Earlier, Dr. Eric Toner of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health also warned, "Most cases are relatively mild," but emphasized, "It is not over yet."

However, the current surge in the U.S. is reportedly much slower and more gradual than during the Omicron wave. Although BA.2 is known to be more contagious than Omicron, herd immunity has been formed among people through vaccination and natural immunity from prior infections.

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