Ómicron won't recognize state lines when it storms into the US.

First death by omicron in the United States 0:44

(CNN) -

The impact of the omicron variant of the coronavirus on an American population entering the holiday season largely without booster doses will create a "perfect storm" that will sweep through healthcare in every region of the US. An expert said Monday.

The variant is now the most dominant in the U.S., accounting for more than 73% of new coronavirus cases less than three weeks after the first was reported, according to estimates released Monday by the Centers for Control and Prevention. Department of Diseases (CDC).

This Monday the first confirmed omicron-related death in the United States was reported.

The Texas man, in his 50s, was unvaccinated, had underlying health problems and had previously been infected with COVID-19, according to authorities.

Worldwide, omicron cases double every 1.5 to 3 days, according to the World Health Organization.

Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Policy and Research at the University of Minnesota, told CNN on Monday that the much higher transmission levels of omicron - compared to delta - would cause an increase in hospitalizations in the United States.

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"Even though the number of people who are infected have a milder disease, it will be so many people, overall, that I think we are going to see a real challenge in our health care systems over the next three to eight weeks."

And what's really challenging is that we can also expect 10-30% of healthcare workers to be infected during that time, "he said.

The variant would not discriminate based on state lines, Osterholm said.

"Instead of seeing the regional waves that we saw with delta - much of the West right now is very low with delta, parts of the South - I think omicron is going to be a national viral blizzard," he said.

Nearly 73% of Americans received at least one dose of the vaccine, 61.5% are fully vaccinated, and 29.8% of those fully vaccinated received a booster, according to CDC figures.

Osterholm stressed that people should focus on getting optimal protection against the virus with three doses of the vaccine.

"Right now we have a lot of people in this country who have acquired some protection, but will it be enough to really prevent serious omicron illness? We don't know."

Osterholm said it was concerning that only 30% of vaccinated Americans had received a third dose and that it takes seven to fourteen days for immunity to actually recover after a booster shot.

"That brings us into the new year. It takes us right through the holiday season and right into the heart of omicron, what I call, 'blizzard'. So it doesn't look good. It's a real perfect storm, sadly. , of events, "he said.

President Biden will "announce additional measures" in the fight against Covid-19 during his speech scheduled for Tuesday, according to the White House, but he will not necessarily speak of additional restrictions in the face of the increase in cases.

States prepare for omicron

Some states are already overwhelmed.

The Army is deploying to help fight COVID in Indiana and Wisconsin.

Two teams of 20 people made up of medical personnel will be deployed to help civilian hospitals in the two states, the United States Army Northern Command announced on Monday.

In Ohio, Dr. Brook Watts, medical director of public and community health for Cleveland's MetroHealth system, told CNN that Northeast Ohio is in crisis.

"I think the health systems together have said it better this weekend. When we put out a joint ad with all the hospitals in our region and it said one word, it said 'help'. It said help because our hospitals are full of patients with covid and we are fighting, "he said Monday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, said Monday that all Americans should do their part in the fight against COVID.

"It has nothing to do with freedom, but with protecting yourself and your family from a life-threatening disease that has already killed more than 800,000 Americans, but also with giving up social responsibility to be part of the solution, instead to be part of the problem, "Fauci said at the National Press Club Headliners Virtual Newsmaker event.

Unvaccinated people face a 10 times greater risk of testing positive and a 20 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19 than fully vaccinated people who also received a booster, according to data recently released by the CDC.

Compared to fully vaccinated people who have not yet received a third dose, unvaccinated people face a five times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 and a 14 times greater risk of dying, according to an assessment by CDC data through October.

Cases have also risen in New York state, where it has tripled in a week, according to data released by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday.

And in New York City, authorities said they were working to restore additional testing capacity.

In Washington, DC - which has been experiencing the highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic - Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the indoor mask mandate will be reinstated from 6 a.m.Tuesday morning until January 31.

In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu announced that the city would require proof of vaccination against the covid-19 virus for indoor dining rooms, gyms, theaters and stadiums.

The mandate will apply to both customers and employees, and will be rolled out in phases.

A single dose of the vaccine will be required before January 15, and a second dose before February 15.

How Parents Can Protect Their Children

Dr. Dimitri Christakis, editor-in-chief of the journal JAMA Pediatrics, told CNN on Monday that the omicron situation was serious "but not terrible" for children.

"Based on the data we have so far, it appears that omicron does not cause serious illness in children, and the good news is that children over the age of five can be vaccinated and vaccination offers significant protection," he said.

But Christakis said that children under the age of 5 cannot yet be vaccinated and must be protected from the virus, and that as the number of cases increases with the most communicable variant, so will the number of children suffering from serious illnesses.

He advocated giving children as normal an experience as possible in a safe environment.

CNN's Sonnet Swire, Laura Lee, Artemis Moshtaghian, Raja Razek, Nikki Carvajal, Virginia Langmaid, and Evan Simko-Bednarski contributed to this report.

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