A memo sent to lawmakers from Capitol physician Brian Monahan said that the seven-day average positivity rate at the Capitol rose from less than one percent to more than 13 percent, and daily case rates are expected to increase even more in the coming weeks as dozens of infections are discovered daily.
The recent outbreak highlight the rising rate of "breakthrough infections" among vaccinated individuals. (Related: Higher vaccination rates translate to higher covid cases as LEAKY, non-sterilizing vaccines worsen the plandemic.)
In a letter to congressional offices, the Capitol physician advised members to shift to remote work in the meantime as hundreds of people have already been infected. He added that congressional offices, committees and agencies should review their operations to adopt maximal telework to reduce in-person meetings and in-office activities as much as possible.
Those who insist on remaining at the Capitol will need to upgrade their masks. Monahan insisted that surgical masks, cloth face masks and gaiter masks must now be replaced with more protective KN95 or N95 masks.
While most cases are mild, older individuals and those with underlying medical conditions may experience severe symptoms, even when vaccinated. Despite this, the government is still pushing for boosters to be the "best" way to protect against the omicron variant of the virus.
Businesses and private companies are already requiring the shot or continue wearing masks and getting regular testing, both of which have been proven to be of little help. (Related: Americans advised to avoid HIGHLY VACCINATED countries due to high number of COVID cases.)
Monahan mentioned that despite the rising cases at the Capitol, it is less likely for individuals to get infected at work. People are most at risk of acquiring infections based on their activities outside the workplace, such as attendance at receptions and entertainment venues, celebrations, family gatherings, travel and crowded indoor activities.
Omicron variant spreading fast
The surge of cases at the Capitol mirror what is happening throughout Washington D.C. as the city is posting its highest infection and hospitalization rates during the pandemic. Monahan noted that most of the cases at the Capitol are due to omicron and delta variants. A limited sampling of cases in December showed that 61 percent of cases were linked to omicron, while 38 were linked to delta.
Other cases appear to be breakthrough infections of vaccinated individuals, although he noted that so far, no one reported serious complications, hospitalizations or deaths.
As the mutated strain spread across the globe, scientists have seen evidence of the variant partially evading immune defenses. However, they are still trying to determine how often it can cause severe disease. Even less certain is how much the variant could trigger hospitalizations.
Dr. Trevor Bedford, who studies the spread and evolution of viruses, said that there are signs the variant is producing less severe infections, but the range of possibilities for the variant remains.
While the government tries to push for mass vaccination, the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that the rush of wealthy countries in rolling out additional COVID vaccine doses is only deepening the inequity of access to the technology, prolonging the pandemic.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that no country can boost its way out of the pandemic.
Watch the video below to get more information about the surge of COVID cases in the United States.
This video is from the Jansthua channel on Brighteon.com.
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