The Omicron variant has become the dominant strain in the U.S. and has been detected in every state except one.<\/b>
\nSouth Africa’s recent decline in coronavirus cases is signaling a possible short wave for the new Omicron variant, which has presented a new challenge for hospitals worldwide and has quickly become the most dominant strain in the U.S. in only a matter of weeks. South Africa was the first country to report the rapid takeoff of the highly transmissible variant, and infectious disease experts have watched the wave there carefully in hopes of being able to predict what lies ahead for the rest of the world. After a report of nearly 27,000 new cases nationwide on December 16, South Africa’s number has dropped to about 15,424 less than a week later, on Tuesday. The noticeable drop was first recorded in South Africa’s most populous province, Gauteng, where the country’s largest city, Johannesburg, is located and where 16 million people reside. The decrease appears to have continued. Scientists in South Africa first identified the new variant to the world on November 25 after the country saw an alarming rise in coronavirus cases that month. Since mid-November, an estimated 90 percent of infections in Guateng province have been from Omicron. Last week, U.S. health officials said Omicron now accounts for 73 percent of new infections across the nation. As of Tuesday, the new variant has been detected in every state except for South Dakota. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.<\/p>\n