Omicron Cases Pass U.S. Peak Seen With Delta

However, numbers of hospitalizations have not yet reached those surging numbers this holiday season, according to CNN. That may not last, experts warn, because tens of millions of Americans continue to be at higher risk for complications and death because they are not vaccinated. "Although hospitalizations may be less, that doesn't mean zero. There are many places in the country where hospitalizations now are increasing," William Schaffner, M.D., a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, told CNN.

So far, 12 states have had at least a 10 percent increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations this past week, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data. Overall, the country has seen a 2 percent increase in hospitalizations. More than 69,000 Americans were hospitalized on Christmas Eve, the data show. That is half of last January's record high and lower than during the delta surge, according to CNN.

The relatively low rate of hospitalizations could be due to a time lag, with hospitalizations only catching up with rising case numbers later. Researchers are still trying to determine if omicron is less likely to cause severe illness, CNN reported. So, health experts and government officials have warned that omicron could still overwhelm hospitals and health care workers.

COVID-19 cases increased 48 percent during the past week. The average daily cases in the United States are now 182,682, according to Johns Hopkins University.