Even as scientists try to understand more about the Omicron variant and the threat it poses, one fact is clear: it spreads quickly everywhere it lands.
Omicron spread twice as fast as the Delta variant in South Africa. In Britain, officials estimate that 200,000 people are getting Omicron every day. Omicron cases are doubling every two days.
Early data from the United States suggests that Americans will not be spared. No part of the country will be safe from Omicron, according to a disease ecologist at Georgetown University.
Delta was driving a surge in cases and hospitalizations before Omicron. The number of new Covid cases has increased by 40 percent in the last two weeks, but the figures are still below last winter's peak.
Scientists said that Omicron could overtake Delta soon. According to projections by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the share of cases caused by Omicron has gone up to 2.9 percent from 0.4 percent in just a week.
A University of Washington lab has reported that the share of viral samples that seem to contain Omicron's telltale pattern has jumped to 20 percent from 3 percent in a matter of days.
An adviser to the Mayor said on Thursday that the test positivity rate has doubled in three days, but they don't know how many of those infections were caused by Omicron.
It's not clear how serious the consequences will be, and how likely it is to cause severe disease. Experts said that the United States needs to double its fight against the virus.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has an epidemiologist who thinks that this could be as bad as previous waves. If things get bad, we need to think about the plan.
Omicron is skilled at evading the immune system.
Infections called breakthrough are common. Three-quarters of the Omicron cases inDenmark occurred in people who had received two vaccine doses. A recent outbreak at Cornell University may have been caused by Omicron.
Dr. Lessler said that there is a level of immune escape and re-infection. The pool of people who can be exposed to this virus is larger than before.
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A booster vaccination drive is taking place in Belper, England. The new variant of the disease has officials estimating 200,000 people are getting it every day.
There is early evidence that T cells, which can help prevent infections from progressing to severe disease, should still recognize the variant of the vaccine. Preliminary data shows that boosters are likely to provide additional protection against infections.
Experts said current levels of vaccine are not likely to stop the variant. 77 percent of the population in the country ofDenmark is fully vaccined, having received a two-dose vaccine or one-dose regimen, depending on the vaccine. The United States, where 61 percent of people have completed their primary vaccine series, should be prepared for a similar wave of cases.
Joshua Salomon, an infectious disease expert at Stanford University, said that nothing has been seen so far to give any reassurance that the growth will be similar in the U.S.
How much the rapid spread of Omicron will contribute to hospitalizations and deaths is a question.
Christopher Murray is the director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
In one small report, researchers in South Africa noted that patients in the Covid ward were less likely to require supplemental oxygen than during previous surge.
It is too early to make conclusions about the severity of Omicron infections, because hospitalizations and deaths typically lag several weeks behind, and the data sets are too small.
Dr. Bansal said that he was not counting that as good news.
She noted that the population of the United States is older and has a different pattern of vaccinations than the population of South Africa.
She said that even if it is mild in some people, it is not going to be mild in others.
If Omicron spreads rapidly and affects a lot of people at the same time, it could cause a lot of problems for health care systems.
Maimuna Majumder, a computational epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital, said that they are at capacity in the emergency rooms.
Hospitals have already lost staff over the course of the Pandemic and if Omicron spreads rapidly through health care workers, it could further strain capacity.
Dr. Majumder said that there are concerns about the people who are working on the floor and that there are fewer of them now than two years ago.
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The U.S. has over one million deaths. The United States has the highest known number of covid deaths. 75 percent of the deaths have involved people 65 or older. One in 100 older Americans have died from the disease.
There are still many unanswered questions about Omicron and it is possible that there will be a trajectory in the coming weeks and months.
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A testing site in Philadelphia. The U.S. needs to provide better access to testing, distribute free, high-quality masks and issue clearer guidelines about which activities are safe, according to experts.
The epicenter of the latest outbreak in South Africa, the province of the Gauteng, may be experiencing a decline in new Omicron cases after a steep initial rise.
The rate of increase has slowed, according to Ridhwaan Suliman, a mathematician and senior researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
Mr. Suliman was cautious about drawing conclusions after a computer glitch and a reporting delay gave the impression that cases were decreasing. He warned that the trajectory may be different in other provinces if the curve has turned, and that data is needed to determine whether the curve has turned.
Experts said that America has resources at its disposal if it chooses to use them. The tests still work for Omicron. Vaccines could help with the burden of disease. Although supplies will be limited, anti-Omicron pills could soon be available.
Dr. Majumder said that there are more tools in the toolbox than there were last year.
People who are eligible for boosters should get them if they are not yet vaccine-free. The same behaviors that experts have long recommended can help slow the spread.
Experts said that officials still need to do more.
Critical public health tools, such as vaccine and boosters, have been promoted by the Biden administration. They are not enough in the face of Omicron.
Dr. Salomon said that the way it is unfolding in other places suggests that a vaccine-only strategy is going to be very fragile.
Experts called on officials to improve access to testing, distribute high-quality masks, and issue clearer guidelines about what activities are safe to engage in.
Local governments, schools and employers need to make plans about what they will do in the event of a large outbreak or if cases or hospitalizations rise to a certain level.
Many of these steps were needed before Omicron was discovered, experts said.
The situation that we were in before the Omicron variant emerged was not prepared for.
And now that Omicron is here? She said that they were not ready.
Reporting was done by Lynsey Chutel.
