When Will Omicron Peak?

With COVID case rates still surging across many parts of the country thanks to the hard and fast rise of the omicron variant, we’re all wondering: When will omicron peak?

The highly contagious omicron surge has outpaced previous coronavirus waves in the U.S.—The New York Times reported an average of 800,000 new cases per day over the weekend—and causing record-high hospitalization rates, primarily among unvaccinated people. And according to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., it’s likely going to get worse before case rates finally start falling. “The next few weeks will be tough,” he told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “We shouldn’t expect a national peak in the next coming days.”

Exactly when omicron cases will hit their peak depends on where you live. “The challenge is that…the entire country is not moving at the same pace,” Dr. Murthy said. In some areas, for example, there’s good news: Omicron cases in New York and parts of the Northeast have already begun to drop off. On Saturday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a nearly 47% decline in omicron cases from the previous week, per the Times. 

That’s not the case across the country, however. Cases in the Midwest and in the South are continuing to climb, according to a New York Times database. As of January 16, cases in Wisconsin were nearly four times what they were during last winter’s surge, and still climbing. Same in South Carolina. 

Across the country, daily COVID hospitalizations are still growing exponentially, overwhelming hospital systems—again. “We are being absolutely crushed,” Gabor Kelen, M.D., chair of emergency medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told NPR. “It’s why it’s so important that we all double down on precautions that we’re taking, because one thing that we’re learning during this surge is that our vaccines are still working very well to keep people out of the hospital and to save their lives,” Dr. Murthy told CNN. “It’s why we want everyone to get vaccinated, to get boosted as soon as they can.” 

The best thing you can do to keep yourself protected against omicron is to get vaccinated—including a booster shot. And wear a respirator mask. “Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations,” said CNN medical analyst Leana Wen, M.D., as SELF reported. Look for an N95 or KN95 mask, which experts say offer the most protection against omicron. If you need help finding options, here’s where you can buy them. 

Related:  

• You Can Now Get a COVID-19 Booster Shot After Five Months
• N95 and KN95 Masks Are Technically Single-Use Only—Here’s How to Safely Stretch Their Longevity
• This At-Home Test Might Be Best at Detecting Omicron