TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Data put together by Johns Hopkins University of Medicine’s Coronavirus Resource Center showed the United States reached a record high of new COVID-19 cases as the omicron variant continues its rapid spread.
According to the Coronavirus Resource Center, the U.S. had 1.08 million new cases of COVID-19 reported on Jan. 3. The tracker operated by the university called it a “record high.”
The data from Johns Hopkins is compiled from state and federal data sources, an effort the university began on Jan. 22, 2020.
The new reported total of daily cases more than doubled a record the country set just under a week ago, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 486,428 new cases across the U.S. on Dec. 29, 2021. The day before was another record, with 439,624 reported on the Dec. 28, 2021.
The CDC’s daily tracker of COVID-19 infections has not yet updated to include national totals for 2022. As of 3:15 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2022, the CDC national totals stop on Dec. 29, having been posted on Dec. 30. When more data becomes available, 8 On Your Side will update and follow up.
With the reported total of 1,082,549 on Monday, according to the Johns Hopkins data, tracking omicron’s spread shows how rapidly the virus is infecting Americans, regardless of vaccination status.
According to the CDC, only 62% of the country has been vaccinated. Seniors, or those ages 65 or older, have the highest percentage of fully vaccinated residents, with 87.6% of the demographic having received a full complement of doses.
In Florida, preliminary case numbers for Jan. 3 report 51,644 cases, with the state totaling 4.36 million confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic. The state’s weekly health report, published on Dec. 31, 2021, showed 71% of the state had been vaccinated across all age groups, and 302,179 new cases.
