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COVID-19 cases, deaths soar again at U.S. nursing homes
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Dino Franceschina receives a COVID-19 vaccine at Caledonia Senior Living and Memory Care nursing home in Chicago, U.S., January 12, 2021. /CFP

Dino Franceschina receives a COVID-19 vaccine at Caledonia Senior Living and Memory Care nursing home in Chicago, U.S., January 12, 2021. /CFP

COVID-19 cases at nursing homes in the U.S. are rising to another peak amid the Omicron surge across the country, according to latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Nursing homes reported a near-record of over 32,000 COVID-19 cases among residents in the week ending January 9, an almost sevenfold increase from a month earlier, according to CDC.

The new weekly increase in COVID-19 cases at nursing homes marks the highest since the week ending December 20, 2020 when over 32,000 cases were reported.

A total of 645 COVID-19-related deaths among nursing home residents were reported during the same week, over 30-percent increase from the week before.

Health experts are concerned that deaths may continue to rise as the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly across the country.

Nursing home officials are responding to the surge by limiting visitors, reinstituting social distancing, and pushing more residents and staff members to get vaccinated and boosted.

People line up for a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Bellows Falls Fire Department in Bellows Falls, Vermont, January 14, 2022. /CFP

People line up for a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Bellows Falls Fire Department in Bellows Falls, Vermont, January 14, 2022. /CFP

Nursing home residents were hit the hardest since the onset of the pandemic in the country. In December 2020, nursing home deaths per week topped out at about 6,200.

Experts said high vaccination rates among nursing home residents have offered strong protection to this age group.

As of January 13, 95 percent of people aged 65 years or older in the country have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 87.9 percent are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

The recent COVID-19 surge in the United States driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant is leading to record high cases, hospitalizations and critical shortages of healthcare staffs.

The country is now averaging nearly 800,000 new COVID-19 cases each day and nearly 1,800 new deaths each day, up significantly week by week, according to latest CDC data.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said Sunday the next few weeks will be tough.

"The challenge is that the entire country is not moving at the same pace," Murthy said in an interview with CNN. "The Omicron wave started later in other parts of the country. We shouldn't expect a national peak in the coming days."

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency

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