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Travelers Across The Country Are Feeling The Impact Of The Omicron Variant

NEW YORK (CBS13) — Travelers across the country are feeling the impact of the omicron variant with hundreds of flights canceled affecting thousands of travelers, and with covid cases surging in some parts of the country, getting a covid test is still a challenge.

It was another day of canceled flights and stranded travelers, due in large part to the highly contagious omicron variant.

Delta, United, Jet Blue, and American Airlines traced the cause to staff sick with COVID-19.

Airlines had already canceled hundreds of flights on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and more than 50 flights have already been canceled Monday.

"It actually canceled while we were in line to check-in," said one traveler.

On Christmas, Florida broke its own record for the highest number of daily cases, that record set the day before, on Christmas Eve.

Los Angeles saw a 300 percent rise in new covid cases last week, creating a huge demand for testing.

"I have a procedure that needs to be done, covid testing before my procedure and now they're telling me that they're not doing it no more," said one of the people waiting in line for a test.

The nation's top infectious disease doctor, Anthony Fauci, acknowledged he's frustrated by the limited supply of covid-19 tests.

"We've obviously got to do better. I think things will improve greatly as we get into January, but that doesn't help us today and tomorrow," said Fauci.

Doctor Fauci says data from around the world suggests omicron may cause less serious illness but that the variant's high transmissibility could overwhelm the nation's hospitals with the unvaccinated.

Hospitals in Minnesota report that is already happening.

"If we get a huge wave of covid—unfortunately, there's going to be a point where we don't have room to take care of everyone," said Dr. Andrea Rowland-Fisher, one of the doctors at Hennepin Healthcare.

A new study from the National Institute of Health found that COVID-19 can spread within days from the lungs to almost every organ system in the body and can persist there for months.

Studies specific to the omicron variant are still ongoing

 

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