U.S. cases surpass pandemic peak level

The highly transmissible omicron variant is sending daily caseloads in parts of the United States soaring to levels higher than last winter’s pandemic peak.

Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Puerto Rico are among the areas that have reported more coronavirus cases in the past week than in any other seven-day period.

The numbers point to the ease with which omicron is spreading across the country, even as some studies from overseas suggest that the variant might cause less severe illness. Experts warn that the surge of infections, combined with the fact that tens of millions of Americans remain unvaccinated, could still create a severe strain on the U.S. health system and lead to many more deaths.

On Friday, before holiday interruptions to data reporting began to affect daily case totals, the seven-day national average of new daily cases surpassed 197,000, a 65 percent jump over the past 14 days. Deaths also increased by 3 percent during that time, to a seven-day average of 1,345, according to a New York Times database.

The national record for average daily cases is 251,232, set in January during a post-holiday surge.

Hospitalizations are up, too, although not as much as cases. Nearly 71,000 Americans are hospitalized with COVID-19, 8 percent higher than the previous week but still well below previous peaks.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden on Monday told governors from both parties to ask for federal help in the fight against COVID-19.

As the White House coronavirus task force held its latest meeting, Biden told leaders of 25 states that the federal government is anxious to help with testing and medical surge teams.

“If you need something, say something,” the president said on a conference call with members of the National Governors Association. “We’re going to have your backs any way we can.”

“Look, there is no federal solution,” he said. “This gets solved at the state level.”