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US sees average daily deaths from Omicron coronavirus variant top Delta total
- Figures from the Centres for Disease Control show that the seven-day average death rate topped 2,228 last week
- The number of fatalities is higher than other developed nations – a fact many have argued is down to its lower vaccination rates
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Last week the seven-day average for daily deaths in the United States, most of them the result of the Omicron variant, surpassed the peak number at the height of the Delta outbreak.
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Data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention showed the seven-day moving average for new deaths reached 2,228 in the week ending January 28.
In comparison, this figure stood at around 2,000 during the Delta peak in September, although the death total was still lower than before vaccines were available.
According to an analysis by The New York Times, the proportion of Americans who have died since the first US Omicron case was detected on December 1 is 63 per cent higher than in any other large developed nation.
Although Omicron appears to be milder than the Delta variant, scientists warned that when it began to surge it may still cause a large number of deaths because of the much higher infection rates.
But the high number of Omicron cases in Europe and other areas with a high vaccination rate has not led to a massive surge in death rates.
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