Biden warns of winter of 'severe illness and death' as Omicron rages on

US President Joe Biden on Thursday warned that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is going to spread more rapidly in the country and a winter of “severe illness and death” awaits the unvaccinated.

"I want to send a direct message to the American people: Due to the steps we've taken Omicron has not yet spread as fast as it would have otherwise done," Biden said following his Covid-19 briefing at the White House.

"But it's here now and it's spreading and it's gonna increase... We are looking at a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated -- for themselves, their families and the hospitals they'll soon overwhelm,” he added, urging people to get their booster jabs.

He said vaccination was key to “economic recovery”, and to “keep schools and businesses open".

Only about 1 in 6 people in the United States are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, leaving hundreds of millions at the risk of contracting the Omicron variant.

At least 36 states in the US have reported confirmed cases of the Omicron variant, representing about 3% of COVID-19 cases in the country, US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a briefing on Wednesday.

The CDC data shows that new COVID-19 hospitalizations may touch record levels in the coming weeks, while new cases and deaths may also surge again.

New wave of COVID disrupts US life as 36 states reported cases of Omicron

New COVID cases in the United States rise nearly 50% as at least 36 states have reported confirmed cases of the Omicron variant.

The CDC's predicted spike in COVID-19 deaths would bring total deaths from the pandemic to 845,000 people by January 8.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, an average of nearly 120,000 new cases are being identified each day, which is 50% more than a month ago, besides more than 1,200 daily deaths.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious diseases expert, in a TV show on Thursday said that he is certain Omicron will become the dominant coronavirus variant in the US relatively soon.

"It has what we call a doubling time of about three days. And if you do the math on that, if you have just a couple of percentage of the isolates being Omicron, very soon it's going to be the dominant variant," Fauci said.

In the past 24 hours two friends reached out to tell me they tested + for COVID. Both vaccinated and boosted. Feels like Omicron is out in the streets living up to its reputation.

— jelani cobb (@jelani9) December 16, 2021

The variant, according to WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has been detected in 77 countries and is probably present in most countries worldwide.

The United States leads the world in the daily average number of new infections, accounting for one in every 5 infections reported worldwide.

'A defining tragedy': US passes 800,000 Covid deaths, highest in the world

The US death toll from Covid-19 has passed 800,000, a figure that represents the highest reported toll of any country in the world.

On Tuesday, The US death toll from Covid-19 surpassed the 800,000 mark, which an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health called “a defining tragedy of our generation”.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, Biden called on people to get their third vaccine jabs, describing it as their “patriotic duty”.

"As we mark the tragic milestone of 800,000 American deaths due to Covid-19, we remember each person and the lives they lived, and we pray for the loved ones left behind,” he said.

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