PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The omicron surge is putting a lot of people in the hospital. But a doctor at Johns Hopkins University says the U.S. surge may be nearing its peak.
For the first time in nearly four months, there are more than 100,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the country. And according to the CDC, there are eight times as many unvaccinated people in hospitals as vaccinated.
Also of concern is the rise in the number of children hospitalized. In New Jersey, that number has almost doubled in seven days.
The state is seeking federal help for hospitals that are filling up with COVID-19 cases. Hospitalizations in New Jersey have surged from 3,000 last week to now more than 4,700. The state is now asking FEMA for strike teams to help with hospital staffing.
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"The simultaneous spread of the delta and highly transmissible omicron variants, as well as increased holiday travel and indoor gatherings, have caused a tsunami of infections in the state," State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said.
As of Monday, New Jersey reported nearly 23,000 new COVID-19 cases. Gov. Phil Murphy says, notably, that number may be a gross undercount, because it does not include people who tested positive using home kits.
"The numbers we're seeing today blow anything we have seen since the start of the pandemic out of the water," Murphy said.
New cases of COVID-19 continue to surge in Philadelphia, as well. Hospitalizations are up, too. Health Department spokesman Jim Garrow says new cases are averaging more than 2,600 a day and nearly 1,000 people are hospitalized, including 66 patients on ventilators.
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But there might be some good news. New data suggests that this omicron wave might not last much longer.
"Two to three weeks seems to be what it takes for it to peak and then to rapidly decline," said Dr. Amesh Adalja with Johns Hopkins University, "not because it's infecting everyone but because it's infecting those people who are most susceptible to get infected … and then everybody else starts to change their behavior and then it collapses."
One model from Columbia University suggests the peak could come next week.
President Joe Biden will meet with his COVID-19 Response Team on Tuesday, and he is expected to share some of what he has learned later in the day. He is scheduled to make his remarks around 2 p.m. Check back with KYW Newsradio for the latest.