‘In for a world of trouble’: New York sees second consecutive day of record Covid cases as US braces for surge

Health officials urge Americans to get vaccinated and boosted against rapidly spreading Omicron variant

New York health officials reported nearly 22,000 people tested positive for Covid-19 on 18 December, marking the second consecutive record-setting, single-day case count in the state.

The state reported 21,027 new cases on 17 December, followed by 21,908 positive test results on 18 December.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio reported that the city is averaging more than 5,700 Covid-19 cases a day, “a really, really shocking figure,” he said on Sunday.

He is calling on President Joe Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act for coronavirus-fighting drugs and to produce more at-home rapid tests, as the city plans to open additional public testing sites to keep up with demand.

Over the last several days, long lines have wrapped around New York City blocks as people waited for tests at urgent care clinics and other sites.

Americans have also reported shortages of at-home rapid tests at pharmacies as they scramble to make their holiday travel and party plans with family and friends, while the US has made test results central to its reopening, putting immense pressure on the nation’s testing capacity.

A spike in confirmed infections comes as the US braces for a third year of the public health crisis, a winter surge of the Delta variant, and the emergence of faster-spreading Omicron which health officials warn will likely lead to a nationwide increase in infections and hospitalisations.

The grim milestones in New York do not yet reflect a “peak” in the latest wave of the pandemic or capture the severity of disease.

The state’s hospitalisation rate is not rising as fast compared to last year’s winter surge and is roughly 30 per cent lower than a year ago.

New York reported 3,909 people hospitalised with Covid on Saturday, compared to more than 8,000 on 14 January, 2021, and nearly 19,000 people in April 2020.

“This is not like the beginning of the pandemic. We are prepared for the winter surge because we have the tools at our disposal,”Governor Kathy Hochul said on Saturday.

“Getting vaccinated, getting the booster and wearing a mask are critical to avoiding getting seriously ill from Covid-19, so don’t take a chance,” she said.

New York City health officials believe that rising infections are attributable primarily to the rise of Omicron.

“It is clear that the Omicron variant is here in New York City in full force,” the mayor said on Thursday.

After widespread restaurant closures and cancelations of Broadway shows and concerts, city officials will announce a decision before Christmas over whether to hold a large-scale New Year’s Eve event in Times Square.

White House chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci told CNN on Sunday that the US is likely to see record numbers of coronavirus cases, hospitalisations and deaths as Omicron spreads.

“Unfortunately, I think that that is going to happen,” he told CNN’s State of the Union. “We are going to see a significant stress in some regions of the country on the hospital system, particularly in those areas where you have a low level of vaccination.”

Dr Francis Collins, who finishes his tenure as chief of the National Institutes of Health on Sunday, told Fox News that “we are in for a world of trouble.”

“All of the other previous variants pale by comparison in terms of the rate at which this one is spreading, doubling every two to three days first in South Africa now in parts of Europe,” he said on Sunday. “And the US is on that exponential curve right now.”

He stressed that “we have things we can do” to combat the pandemic, including “vaccines and boosters and being careful about masking again.”

“And I know people are sick of hearing this but the virus is not sick of us,” he said. “It’s thrown us a new curveball, and we got to be ready to hit it.”

President Biden is scheduled to give a speech on his administration’s response to Omicron on Tuesday.

He will issue a “stark warning of what the winter will look like for Americans that choose to remain unvaccinated,” according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

More than 58 million people – about one in six Americans – have received a “booster” vaccine shot, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Roughly 30 per cent of eligible Americans remain unvaccinated.

While Delta remains the dominant strain in the US, federal officials believe Omicron is making up a rapidly growing share of cases, as much as 13 per cent in states like New York and New Jersey.

The seven-day average of new confirmed cases in the US is more than 125,000, as of 17 December.