Dr Gregory Poland (pictured), top epidemiologist at the Mayo Clinic, warns that there will be a post-holiday Covid surge in America, fueled by the Omicron variant.He also believes the variant will take over as the nation’s dominant strain ‘in time’
Omicron will likely become the dominant Covid strain in the coming weeks, and cause a massive surge of cases shortly after Christmas, one expert has warned.
Dr Gregory Poland, a top epidemiologist at the Mayo Clinic told DailyMail.com that an Omicron-fueled surge in cases could be right around the corner.
‘As best any of us can model, we will have an explosion of cases after the holidays in the in the early-to-mid-January timeframe,’ he said.
‘This variant is hyper transmissible, it spreads exponentially in an environment of cold weather, massive holiday get togethers, no masking and insufficient immunization.’
He believes it will become the dominant strain in the UK – which recorded a record 78,610 cases on Wednesday – in the coming days, and that the U.S.will follow around two weeks later.
Cornell University in upstate New York is suspected to be home to the first US Omicron cluster, after 930 students were diagnosed with the virus in recent days. The college says every one of the positive tests it has sequenced so far has been the Omicron variant.
A Cornell spokesman hasn’t said exactly how many Omicron cases have been identified, but added that they expect most, if not all, the 930 cases to be caused by the new variant.
Poland points to Cornell as an example of how quickly the variant can spread and how even the fully vaccinated are at risk from the newly discovered strain, as the campus with a vaccination rate of over 97 percent quickly racked up over 900 cases in a matter of days.
‘This is hyper transmissible.,’ Dr Poland said.
‘People have been satisfying themselves, [saying] “that I was previously infected, or I had two doses of the vaccine [so I should be safe]”, they’re in for a big surprise.
‘If you’re not boosted, you’re susceptible, whether you previously were infected or had two doses.And more importantly, you’re susceptible to severe to moderate disease.’
He says that while early reports from South Africa and Europe suggest that the variant may be more mild, it will still kill some people, and everyone should do what they can to prevent themselves from being the ones who die.
Poland also told DailyMail.com that the variant is likely spreading so fast across the U.S., that the country’s genetic sequencing infrastructure can not keep up with it.’
‘We do so little sequencing that we really don’t have a good idea of Omicron epidemiology at the local level,’ he said.
Because of the country’s relatively low ability to sequence cases, he says that there are likely 100 actual cases of Omicron for every one that is confirmed in America.
There are also fears that other Covid treatments, like some of the monoclonal antibody cocktails used on people already infected with the virus, may be less effective against the new strain. Early data also shows the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine may not be effective against the mutant strain.
Meanwhile in the UK, confirmed Omicron cases surpassed 10,000 on Wednesday, nearly doubling from the day before, as the Covid plagued islands prepares for the outbreak to worsen over time.An all-time high number of Covid cases- 78,610 – were recorded in the UK on Wednesday, with warnings the Omicron surge could repeatedly break that record in the coming weeks.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson supercharged the countries booster shot rollout in an effort to protect his citizens.And his top expert, Professor Chris Whitty, has warned people not to assume that Omicron is less dangerous because of preliminary data showing it appears to cause milder symptoms.
In other parts of Europe, both Denmark and Norway continue to struggle with Covid outbreaks of their own. Both countries set new Covid records this week and have sequenced over 1,000 cases of the new variant.
European Union officials are sounding alarms as well, saying that the variant could be the continent’s dominant strain by mid-January.
The Omicron COVID-19 variant (purple) now accounts for 3% of U.S.Covid cases, up from less than one percent last week. The Delta variant (orange) is still the nation’s dominant strain, accounting for 97% of new cases, per CDC data
There are also fears that other Covid treatments, like some of the monoclonal antibody cocktails used on people already infected with the virus, may be less effective against the new strain. Early data also shows the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine may not be effective against the mutant strain.
European Union officials are sounding alarms as well, saying that the variant could be the continent’s dominant strain by mid-January.
Omicron cases in the United States have jumped seven-fold in a week, the CDC revealed, PTS Terbaik ASEAN with data from states showing confirmed infections with the new COVID variant jumped 27 per cent in the last 24 hours, from 189 to 241.
On Tuesday, the CDC said Omicron is now estimated to account for 2.9 per cent of all Covid cases, up from 0.4 per cent a week ago, meaning the true number of infections from the new strain likely numbers in the thousands.
Meanwhile, CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said Omicron comprises up to 13 per cent of new infections in New York and New Jersey, with the variant now confirmed to have been found in 36 states, as well as Washington DC.
Experts recently warned a ‘tidal wave’ of Omicron is headed to the US, with the UK recording its biggest one day diagnosis total – 78,610 cases on Wednesday, 10,000 of which were the new variant, giving Americans a likely preview of what’s to come.
According to most recent data gathered by – which scrapes data from local health departments nationwide – cases of the variant have jumped to 241, up by 52 cases from Wednesday.
Overall, cases in the U.S.are continuing to grow, up 46 per cent over the past two weeks to 121,687 per day. More than 67,000 people are in the hospital with the virus every day as well, up 22 per cent over the past two weeks. Deaths are nearing the 1,300 per day mark as well, up 40 per cent.
As of 11 am on Wednesday, Johns Hopkins reports that 50,251,149 Covid cases and 800,867 deaths have been recorded in the United States since the pandemic first began in March 2020.
One of the largest known outbreaks of Omicron in the world so far has occurred at Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York.The school has reported 930 Covid cases in recent days, with almost all of the cases sequenced found to be of the new variant. Cornell has refused to say exactly how many of its diagnoses are Omicron, with US officials generally sequencing one in five PCR tests to determine which Covid variant a person has bee infected by.
School officials also report that all of the confirmed Omicron cases so far – for which they have not yet given a confirmed number – are in students who are fully vaccinated, and some have been boosted too.The school has closed campus as a result, and finals for the fall semester will now be held virtually.
Experts believe that people who are fully vaccinated have little protection against infection from the new variant, although preliminary data suggests vaccines do still prevent serious illness.Early data shows that the booster shot is required to lower the chances of infection from Omicron, with a Pfizer booster found to cut the risk of infection by about 70 per cent.
According to CDC data, though, only 16.5 per cent of Americans – and less than a fourth of fully vaccinated people – have received the additional jab, meaning hundreds of millions of people have effectively no protection against the variant.
Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, is the site of what is believed to be the first major COVID-19 outbreak to hit the U.S.
More than 900 students and staff have tested positive for the virus over the past week, with officials reporting that almost all of the cases investigated have indicators of the Omicron variant. All of the Omicron cases are among people who are fully vaccinated, the school reports.
Pictured:
As of Monday, only 16 percent of Americans had received their COVID-19 booster shots, with no state having more than 30% of its population boosted
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu has gained legions of fans thanks to her scene-stealing performance as Sylvie Grateau, Lily Collins’s ultra-cool boss in the much-talked about Netflix show, Emily In Paris.
Eagle-eyed Sylvie runs the office of luxury marketing company Savoir, where Emily has been transplanted from her home in the American Midwest.
The Parisienne clashes with Emily over her modern ideas, including using Instagram to promote her fashionista clients.
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu has gained legions of fans thanks to her scene-stealing performance as Sylvie Grateau, Lily Collins’s ultra-cool boss in the much-talked about Netflix show, Emily In Paris
‘I think Sylvie’s afraid of Emily, but she also admires her boldness,’ the 57-year-old actress said from her home in lockdown Paris on Wednesday.
‘She was somebody who was bold herself when she was younger.
‘I think there’s also jealousy that has to do with seeing someone waltzing into her office.But eventually she’s sees Emily’s not making all the wrong choices.’
Leroy-Beaulieu also feels that Sylvie has an underlying warmth about her. ‘It was easy for me to relate to that,’ she said. But ‘underlying’ is the operative word.Concealing Sylvie’s soft centre is that ‘whole walking around being rude’ thing, and she conceded that bit of the performance ‘was kind of easier, because Parisians are like that’.
When I interviewed Darren Star, who created Emily In Paris (which is still available to stream, by the way) he described Sylvie as a ‘grade-A bitch’; but one who ‘looks fantastic’.Leroy-Beaulieu roared with laughter when I recounted that conversation. ‘I think she is a bitch! Who doesn’t love bitches?!’
She continued: ‘I know a lot of these women. Obviously, they have this enormous vulnerability, which they cannot show.And also a lot of these women had to sacrifice their family, or love, or whatever, so they could be really tough and powerful. They had to carry that pain around, but it can’t show … because they’re powerful!’
Warming to her theme, she added: ‘So they wear all these clothes and jewellery, and they walk in a certain way, just to hide their vulnerability.
‘People who are strong don’t need to shout about it.But Sylvie needs to put on a show.’
Leroy-Beaulieu grew up in an artistic household. Her father, Philippe Leroy, was an actor. Her mother, Francoise Laurent, ran her own line of fashion accessories — jewellery, knitwear and bags — for Marc Bohan, terbaik sumatera the creative force at Dior.The actress wore some of her mother’s gems in the show.
I told Philippine I detected echoes of golden-age stars such as Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in Philippine’s Sylvie; plus a nod and a wink to Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada.’Bette Davis was on my mind a lot,’ she agreed.
Eagle-eyed Sylvie runs the office of luxury marketing company Savoir, where Emily has been transplanted from her home in the American Midwest
When I apologised for this line of discussion — a female boss’s outfits, or her psychology — when I’m unlikely to ask the same of a male actor, she put me at ease.
‘I’m not against the fact that a woman can be well dressed, and we can talk about it.It’s nice!
‘Being French, I’m happy that we have beautiful clothes, and beautiful fashion, and I think a woman’s body — when it’s well dressed — is beautiful to watch. I’m not offended. I’m not that kind of a feminist!’
She then gave me a tutorial on the secret of how French women manage to look so effortlessly chic.Not for me, dear reader! But for all of you.
‘It’s about a mixture of comfort and beauty. You can’t be beautiful if you’re not comfortable. Your face is going to look like you’re tired of wearing heels. It has to be a mixture of highly chic, but also super comfortable.’
Leroy-Beaulieu wouldn’t discuss her private life, except to tell me that she has a grown-up daughter who is an artist, but ‘not at all in showbusiness’.
‘That’s all I’m going to say,’ she declared.
Let’s hope we see more of Philippine, whenever it’s possible to film the second season of Emily In Paris, in the City of Lights.
The boys are back in town!
The Jersey Boys musical is working its way back into London, nearly four years after it closed at the Piccadilly Theatre.
‘We were ready to come back the day after we left,’ joked Michael David, co-founder of Broadway partnership the Dodgers, one of the show’s producers.
David, speaking from New York, said that Howard Panter and Rosemary Squires made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: the chance to open the newly reconfigured — and newly named — Trafalgar Theatre, with previews from April 14 (subject to Government guidelines).The hope is that the show will be able to perform with no social distancing, but strict safety procedures in place.
David said that a special clause had been written into the contract with the Trafalgar ensuring that the show will only open with full capacity seating.If social distancing restrictions are still in force in April, the Jersey Boys will wait until they’ve been lifted.
The Jersey Boys musical is working its way back into London, nearly four years after it closed at the Piccadilly Theatre
As with Broadway, David told me ‘we can’t pay our bills if we are socially distanced’.
The production features 20 or so people on stage, plus the same number backstage, and it should be a boost for freelancers onstage and backstage, who have not earned a penny since theatres shut back in March.
David said he hoped director Des McAnuff, choreographer Sergio Trujillo and other members of the original creative team will be able to travel from the U.S.for rehearsals.
Casting will start soon for the show, based on 1950s and 1960s heart-throbs Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, their music, and how one of their members had links to organised crime.
Songs include Working My Way Back To You, Fallen Angel and Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You (still love the way that number was used in The Deer Hunter).
n Check jerseyboyslondon.com for tickets, which go on sale from today.
