Most of the United States' first 43 infections from the coronaviruses' omicron variant were mild, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
A passenger on a flight from South Africa is tested for the coronaviruses at the airport.
The images are from the same company.
In the first eight days of December, the CDC analyzed 43 U.S. omicron infections, 34 of which were tied to patients who took Covid-19 vaccines and 14 of which were in patients who received a vaccine booster shot.
Six of these patients were previously coronaviruses.
The study found that only one patient had a two-day hospital stay and no deaths were recorded, though most patients reported symptoms like coughing, fatigue and congestion.
The majority of these early omicron cases appeared in younger Americans, with 25 of them between the ages of 18 and 39, and four of them children.
Fourteen patients traveled internationally within two weeks of symptoms or getting tested, some of which were linked to U.S. travel and large events.
The first omicron case in the country was confirmed two weeks after the CDC said one patient had experienced Covid-19 symptoms. The CDC said that more November cases are likely to emerge because the samples are often taken weeks after they are collected.
There was aContra.
It is difficult to draw conclusions from the early data from the CDC. The agency has analyzed a small number of cases, and health outcomes may vary based on patients' circumstances. The agency noted that Americans who travel internationally could be disproportionately young or have an above-average Covid-19 vaccination rate.
The omicron variant has appeared in many countries since it was discovered in Africa. The data on omicron is still limited and largely preliminary, but some researchers warn the variant has spread rapidly in South Africa and coincides with a spike in infections, prompting fears that it could be more transmissible than previous forms of the virus. A study from South Africa found that omicron could be more likely to cause people to catch the coronaviruses again. Pfizer and BioNTech released data from a laboratory study Wednesday that suggests the Covid-19 vaccine is more effective than the delta variant. Federal infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that the variant may be less severe than other forms of the virus, though he cautioned that many of those cases are in young patients.
There is a structure called the Tangent.
In parts of South Africa, hospitalizations have crept up despite early reports of omicron's severity. If omicron proves to be more transmissible than earlier versions of the coronaviruses, hospital visits may increase as more people contract the virus.
Even if most infections are mild, a highly transmissible variant could result in enough cases to overwhelm health systems.
Further reading.
Scientists in the U.K. say that the Covid Booster Shot increases vaccine effectiveness by up to 75%.
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