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Scene from New York City (December 17th)
Photo: Yuki Iwamura / dpa
In Germany, the proportion of the Omikron variant in new infections is steadily increasing - in the USA it is now the most frequently detected mutant.
It is estimated that Omikron accounted for around 73 percent of corona cases in the past week, according to data on the CDC's website on Monday.
This is a sharp increase - the week before it was only estimated to have been around 12.6 percent.
The health authorities had initially put this number at around three percent.
After further sequencing, this estimate is now higher.
Omikron has thus displaced Delta, the previously predominant variant.
Delta made up about a quarter of the cases, according to the CDC estimates.
In some states, Omikron is responsible for more than 90 percent of the cases.
A similarly rapid development is likely to be imminent in Germany: According to the federal government's new Corona Expert Council, the omicron incidence will double every two to four days.
In the summer, the United States experienced a violent delta wave.
In September, the number of new infections fell temporarily, but has been increasing again since October - particularly strongly in the past few days.
More than 800,000 people have died of corona infection in the United States since the pandemic began.
So far, 61.5 percent of the approximately 330 million people in the country have been vaccinated twice.
Almost 30 percent of them also received a booster vaccination.
US President Joe Biden wants to address the population in a speech on the corona pandemic on Tuesday.
Texas fatalities - White House all clear
Meanwhile, according to a media report, the US state of Texas reported the first death in connection with the Omikron variant.
This is reported by broadcaster ABC, citing Harris County health officials.
It is believed to be the first confirmed death of the virus variant in the entire United States, the report said.
In the White House on Monday (local time) there was first great excitement and then the all-clear.
According to the US Presidential Office, US President Joe Biden tested negative for Covid-19.
An employee of the White House, who stayed on board Air Force One for about 30 minutes on Friday, tested positive on Monday morning, the government in Washington announced.
jok / dpa
