Covid update: Omicron is lethal as US death toll hints at alarming facts

The Omicron variant of the Covid pandemic is literally wreaking havoc in several countries including India and the United States. In the initial days of the Omicron outbreak, several medical experts suggested that this variant is not as deadly as the Delta variant of Covid. However, recent statistics suggest that we should take Omicron too very seriously. 

US death toll suggests alarming facts

Since mid-November, the seven-day rolling average of deaths in the United States has been climbing, and in the last week, the country witnessed an average death toll of 2,267. It should be noted that when Delta was the dominant variant in September, the average death toll was 2,100, which clearly indicates the fact that Omicron should not be taken lightly. 

Omicron is highly transmissible than the Delta variant and as a result, more people are getting infected, which is ultimately resulting in more deaths. 

"Omicron will push us over a million deaths. That will cause a lot of soul searching. There will be a lot of discussion about what we could have done differently, how many of the deaths were preventable," said Andrew Noymer, a public health professor at the University of California, Irvine, Associated Press reports.

Americans returning to normalcy

According to medical experts, more Americans are returning to normalcy, as they believe that vaccination will protect them from possible infection. However, recent statistics suggest that it is not the time to lose the guard, and it is highly necessary to follow all safety protocols to protect themselves from the pandemic. 

Even though symptoms of Omicron are mild, it could be deadly like flu, especially for people who are older, have other health problems or are unvaccinated.