INTERNATIONAL: The Omicron variant has taken the hold to become the dominant COVID-19 variant in the United States as more people are traveling and gathering for holidays.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with state and local public health officials to monitor the spread of Omicron. As of December 20, 2021, Omicron has been detected in most states and territories and is rapidly increasing the proportion of COVID-19 cases it is causing.
The infection cases caused by Omicron accounted for 73.2 percent of all infection cases in the week ending 18 december, from 12.6 percent of all infection cases in the week, according to the latest model estimates of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday.
At the beginning of this month, Omicron only accounted for 0.7 percent of all infection cases.
Omicron is spreading rapidly nationwide and has been found in at least 48 of the 50 U.S. states as of Monday, since the first case in the country was detected in California on 1 December. COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations have continued to surge in the United States.
The country is averaging about 130,000 new cases daily, a 10-percent increase from the previous week, the latest CDC data showed.
The New York State set a new COVID-19 infection record for a third straight day on Sunday with more than 22,000 positive cases. People waited in long lines at testing sites.
With the surging of COVID-19 infections, Washington D.C. on Monday re-imposed the indoor mask mandate and has required the vaccination mandate for government employees.
However, the surge in new infections did not deter people from flying for holidays. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has screened over two million passengers for a fourth day in a row. The TSA expected up to 21 million Americans will fly between 23 December to 3 January for the holiday season.
Health experts have urged the public to test before heading for travels and large gatherings, getting vaccinated and boosted, masking in public indoor settings, and practicing physical distancing to slow transmissions.
