The Guardian’s Victoria Bekiempis writes that the current record numbers of daily cases of highly transmissible Omicron variants are fueled by the mostly unvaccinated teens and younger adults.

Dr Mary T Bassett, acting state health commissioner, told The Guardian “The risks of Covid-19 for children are real. There was a fourfold increase in pediatric Covid-19 hospital admissions from the week of 5 December through the week of 24 December.”

Some selected quotes from The Guardian articles are highlighted below:

• The US seven-day average for pediatric hospitalizations increased 58%, to 334, between 21 December and 27 December. The increase in hospitalizations for all age groups was about 19%. Less than 25% of US children are vaccinated – according to Reuters
• In Los Angeles county, adults between 18 and 49 accounted for more than 70% of the coronavirus cases recorded between 22 December and 28 December. The case rate per 100,000 people has surged most quickly in that age range. – according to the Los Angeles Times
• Coronavirus cases are increasing dramatically among teens and younger adults in southern Nevada. Eighteen to 24-year-olds saw 44.7 cases per 100,000 as of 24 December, an 131% increase from one week prior. – according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal
• In Dallas county, Texas, coronavirus cases rose by 76% in one week, according to a 28 December. Adults between 18 and 29 comprised almost 25% of these cases. – according to the Dallas Morning News
• Michigan hospitals have also reported seeing more patients in younger age groups in December, many of whom are unvaccinated. – according to ABC 12 News
• The US has seen 54,747,971 Covid-19 cases, and 825,552 deaths, since the pandemic hit the US almost two years ago. – according to Johns Hopkins University data

Allison Bartlett, who teaches about pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Chicago, reportedly told told NBC 5 Chicago “We are seeing twice as many kids in the hospital who are testing positive for Covid than we saw even back in our bad peak in September.”

• Teens and young adults driving record Covid cases in US, health officials say
• One important — and dangerous — way the Omicron surge is different than previous surges in the US

The CNN Health’s Christina Maxouris writes that this current cases is important and dangerous because of the fact that about 20% of healthcare workforce is lost during the pandemic. This situations further adds fuel to the rising cases from the most contagious Omicron variant.

What we have to understand is that our health system is at a very different place than we were in previous surges. We have extremely high numbers of just lost healthcare workers, we’ve lost at least 20% of our healthcare workforce, probably more.

– Dr. Esther Choo, professor of emergency medicine (source: CNN)

“This strain is so infectious that I think all of us know many, many colleagues who are currently infected or have symptoms and are under quarantine.”

Dr Choo told the CNN “That’s a different type of one-two punch: people going into the hospitals … and all of the healthcare workers are out of the workforce.”