Omicron Cases Overtake Delta As Primary COVID-19 Variant In Virginia, DC

VIRGINIA/DC — The omicron variant has overtaken the delta coronavirus variant, including in Washington, D.C., and Virginia, and is now dominant in the United States, accounting for 73 percent of new cases, federal health officials estimate.

The omicron spike comes three weeks after the variant was detected half a world away and days before Americans gather for the holidays, sparking fears among health officials that COVID-19 cases could return to early pandemic levels.

In the D.C. metro region, omicron variant cases are outpacing the delta variant, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Omicron, identified as B.1.1.529, made up 75.8 percent of new cases in Virginia, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia combined between Dec. 12 and Dec. 18, according to federal data.

Meanwhile, the delta variant, or B.1.617.2, made up 24.2 percent of new cases in the same region.

A week earlier, from Dec. 5 to Dec. 11, the omicron variant made up only 8.4 percent of the cases in the region, identified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as Region 3. The delta variant was still dominant for the week ending Dec. 11, representing 91.3 percent of cases in the region.

Both northern Virginia and D.C. are seeing surges in COVID-19 cases.

In D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday reinstated the city's mask mandate for indoor public spaces after the jump in COVID-19 cases. DC Health reported consecutive days of record-breaking new cases. Last Thursday, the agency reported a record 508 new COVID-19 cases. D.C. broke its record the next day, reporting 844 new cases on Friday.

DC Health confirmed its first cases of the omicron on Dec. 12. The omicron variant was first detected in Virginia on Dec 9.

As the transmission increases due to the omicron variant, public health leaders in Northern Virginia are encouraging residents to maintain their vigilance in curbing the spread of COVID-19 to minimize hospitalizations and deaths during this winter surge.

Arlington County said Monday it is seeing a significant surge in COVID-19 cases, with 268 new cases reported on Saturday, the highest single-day number recorded for Arlington during the pandemic.

The CDC numbers reported Monday show how quickly omicron is spreading. Nationwide, omicron variant cases increased six-fold in only a week.

In some regions of the country, the spike is higher than in the D.C. area. The variant accounts for at least 90 percent of new infections in the New York area, the Southeast, the Midwest and Pacific.

The delta variant had been dominant since June, and as recently as the end of November represented 99.5 percent of new cases.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters Monday that omicron’s rapid spread matches what other countries have seen.

“These new numbers are stark, but they are not surprising,” Walensky said.

Only about 28 percent of Americans have gotten their COVID-19 booster shots, which health officials say is the best defense against the omicron variant. Only about 61 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated but aren’t boosted, and health officials are worried about the nation’s ability to withstand a fifth wave of COVID-19.

For more information, go to the CDC data tracker.