White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that growing data suggests the omicron Covid strain is less severe that the delta strain. But he warned that there could be stress in hospitals due to the unprecedented amount of new infections that have been swept across the U.S.

Fauci stated that multiple sources of preliminary data indicated a decline in severity for Omicron during the Covid update by the White House response team. We need to do a more thorough assessment of the severity and have longer-term followup in other countries.

Fauci referenced a Canadian study that showed the death or hospitalization rate for people who had been infected by omicron was 65% lower than those with delta. A micron-infected person was at 83% less risk for death, or being admitted to an ICU., according to the study.

Fauci also cited a South Africa study showing that only 5% of omicron-wave infections resulted in admissions to hospital, while 14% occurred during delta. The number of patients who were admitted to hospital in the omicron waves was 73% lower than those who had been admitted during the delta wave. according to the data.

Fauci stated that the lung infection caused by omicron is less severe than in previous cases. citing recent animal studies of mice and hamsters.

Fauci stated that “it was demonstrated that the virus omicron propagates very well in both the upper and lower airways, but very little in the lungs.” He said that while this is not conclusive evidence of omicron being milder, it was consistent with the variant transmitting quickly and causing less severe lung infection.”

Fauci stated that the delta variant of omicron is more severe than the omicron. He cautioned, however, that due to the contagious nature of omicron, hospitalizations for children are on the rise. His advice to parents with children between 5 and 17 years of age was to ensure their children were immunized against Covid.

Fauci said that even if the omicron virus proves to be less severe than it is, there are still a lot of people who need medical attention, and that this could strain the national health-care system.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, the U.S. had more than 860,000 new Covid infections Tuesday. According to data from Hopkins, a CNBC analysis found that the nation has reported a 7-day average of over 553,000 new Covid infections per day. This is more than twice what it was last week, and an unprecedented pandemic record.

Fauci stated that “a certain percentage of a large number of cases, no matter how severe,” was Fauci’s opinion. Don’t interpret this to mean that the recommendations can be reversed.

A seven-day average of data collected by the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday shows that approximately 111,000 Americans were hospitalized for Covid. That’s 39% higher than the week before. Although this number is on the rise, it remains below last winter’s peak when hospitals were at 137,000.

Fauci warned against complacency and urged the public not to be complacent. He urged them to adhere public health guidelines by being vaccinated, boosted, and wearing masks.