US reports first Omicron death, Biden turns to military medics

Houston, December 21

The US has reported its first death due to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus with an unvaccinated man in his 50s succumbing to the fast-spreading disease in Texas, according to health officials. The news came on a day when the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Omicron was now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the country, accounting for 73 per cent of new infections last week.

The man, who was not identified, was unvaccinated and had previously been infected with Covid-19, according to a release from Harris County Public Health. President Joe Biden has called on military medics to support hospitals and fight the Omicron variant. He struck a dire tone about the risks to the one in four American adults who remain unvaccinated. The Biden administration on Tuesday announced deployment of an additional 1,000 military doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other personnel to hospitals during January and February. It rolled out other measures, including new federal testing sites to supplant 20,000 existing ones around the country.

An additional 500 million at-home rapid tests will be made available for free, starting in January. The administration is deploying six of its Covid-19 Surge Response Teams to Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arizona, New Hampshire and Vermont. — Agencies

Brace for surge: WHO

Geneva: WHO’s European head Dr Hans Henri P Kluge on Tuesday warned countries to brace for a “significant surge” in Covid cases as Omicron spreads. “Another storm is coming. Within weeks, Omicron will push stretched health systems further to the brink,” said Kluge.