Americans seem to be greeting the Omicron variant with a collective “eh,” according to new polling data from Axios/Ipsos.
Compared to other COVID-19 strains, Omicron seems to be extra transmissible and possibly more likely to cause breakthrough infections, at least based on preliminary data. As of Dec. 8, 22 U.S. states had reported at least one case related to the variant. But despite the early panic about the variant, most people surveyed by Axios/Ipsos in early December said they weren’t going to make big changes to their behavior. Specifically, the poll found that just:
33% of surveyed U.S. adults are likely to stop dining inside restaurants
28% are likely to stop gathering with people outside their households
23% are likely to cancel holiday travel plans
13% are likely to stop going to work in person
It’s hard to blame people. At this point in the pandemic, it’s safe to say everyone is tired and ready to be done with COVID-19. Plus, 60% of the U.S. population is now fully vaccinated, and thus, based on what we’ve seen so far, largely protected from the worst the virus can do. People who have received a booster dose are in an even better position, given early reports that boosters hold up well against Omicron.
Americans are also, to some degree, doing what public figures told them to do. President Joe Biden called Omicron “a cause for concern—but not a cause for panic.” And many health officials have jumped to assure the public that we are not going back to square one, thanks to the protection offered by vaccines.
The caveat, however, is that we're still learning about Omicron. Early indications suggest the variant does not cause more severe disease than other variants, but it’s too soon to say that definitively. If it does turn out to be highly contagious, good at outsmarting vaccines and capable of causing serious disease, we may have to return to some precautions, for the sake of individuals and our overburdened health care system. The variant is already taking root in Europe, which may be a harbinger of what’s to come here.
The good news? The Axios/Ipsos poll did find that most Americans are still willing to step up and take protective measures when necessary. More than 60% said they were likely to go back to (or continue) always masking in public, and almost 70% said they’d support businesses requiring customers to wear masks.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
Nearly 268.5 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 12 a.m. E.T. today, and nearly 5.3 million people have died. On Dec. 9, there were 715,523 new cases and 8,332 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here's every country that has reported over 5 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 49.6 million coronavirus cases as of 12 a.m. E.T. today. More than 794,000 people have died. On Dec. 9, there were 117,619 new cases and 1,419 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Dec. 10, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
For a reminder that the pandemic is not over, look to Michigan. As CNN reports, Michigan this week counted more people hospitalized with COVID-19 than at any other time during the pandemic. Hospitalizations have risen by almost 90% there over the last month, as the Delta variant collides with the gathering-heavy holiday season. Unvaccinated people comprised the majority of these admissions. Within the smaller group of people who were vaccinated and hospitalized, the majority had not received their booster shot, a Michigan hospital official told CNN.
Facing its own surge, New York today reimplemented a mask mandate for public indoor spaces, though businesses or venues that require proof of vaccination will be exempt. Governor Kathy Hochul said the policy was based on New York’s rising case and hospitalization rates and will be in effect until at least Jan. 15. “We’re entering a time of uncertainty and we could either plateau here or our cases could get out of control,” she warned.
Israel, an early leader in vaccination efforts, is extending its entry ban for foreigners and weighing travel restrictions for all of Europe in light of Omicron, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports. The existing ban on foreign travelers entering the country has been extended until at least Dec. 22. And, given Omicron’s spread in Europe, Israeli officials are reportedly considering designating the entire continent a “red” zone, which would severely limit travel between it and Israel.
In a piece of good news about Omicron, officials in South Africa, where the variant was first reported, said today there is no indication that it causes more severe disease than previous strains. Case counts related to Omicron are rising in South Africa, leading to more hospitalizations, but it does not appear that cases are worse than those related to previous versions of the virus. Still, the country is ramping up vaccination and booster efforts to curtail spread of the new variant.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jamie Ducharme and edited by Angela Haupt.
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