The end of omicron could be sooner than we think

Record high case numbers expected to peak & then drop dramatically

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Experts predict the omicron strain could be the turning point in the pandemic after it reaches its peak in the U.S. this week.

After the first case of omicron was reported in South Africa, the country saw a major spike in positive cases.   They reached record highs, but then the numbers decreased rapidly.

Scientists are now seeing signs that indicate the U.S. will have a similar experience.   Lancaster County reached its highest case numbers last Saturday with 702, and the U.S. broke the previous world record on Monday, with a staggering 1.4 million cases.

The University of Washington’s model expects the U.S. to peak January 19.   “It’s going to come down as fast as it went up,” says University of Washington at Seattle professor Ali Mokdad.   He believes this will be the case “simply because everybody who could be infected will be infected.”

The easily transmissible variant may already be seeing a drop-off in Britain.  Dr. Paul Hunter, a professor at Britain’s University of East Anglia, says “There will probably be some ups and downs along the way, but I would hope that by Easter, we will be out of this.”

Researchers warn hospitals that the next few weeks will still be difficult for them as case numbers surge.

Lauren Ancel Meyers, director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, said there is a possibility that omicron could be a light at the end of the tunnel for the pandemic.   “At the end of this wave, far more people will have been infected by some variant of COVID,” Meyers said.   “At some point, we’ll be able to draw a line — and omicron may be that point — where we transition from what is a catastrophic global threat to something that’s a much more manageable disease.”

While this is a hopeful prediction, she also admits that there is still a possibility of another more dangerous variant that could change everything.