A new map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows where all of the cases of the omicron variant are right now.
The CDC map breaks down how prevalent COVID-19 is in the United States based on different variants. The map uses averages based on sequencing data.
- Right now, delta represents 96.7% amount of cases.
- The omicron variant represents 2.9% of cases.
However, the map said last week that omicron represented 0.4% of cases, which means it jumped almost 600% in the last two weeks, according to Fast Company. That’s a lot.
The CDC map shows cases are mainly concentrated in the northeastern U.S. right now, along with a collection of cases down in the South. The Western United States has not had a serious surge of omicron variant yet, according to the map.
Experts are concerned about what’s going to happen next with the omicron variant. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told CNN that millions of people will be infected by omicron by the end of winter.
- “We’re really just about to experience a viral blizzard,” Osterholm told CNN on Thursday. “In the next three to eight weeks, we’re going to see millions of Americans are going to be infected with this virus, and that will be overlaid on top of Delta, and we’re not yet sure exactly how that’s going to work out.”
That said, experts have rejoiced in the fact that early research suggests the omicron variant causes fewer severe COVID-19 symptoms compared to previous coronavirus strains, as I wrote for the Deseret News. The omicron COVID-19 variant has reportedly led to fewer hospitalizations, too.