White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that Americans should refrain from large New Year’s Eve parties because the highly transmissible omicron variant causes U.S. Covid victims to reach their highest level of the pandemic.

Fauci noted that it is safe to have small family gatherings or close friends, as long as everyone has been vaccinated.

“If your plans are to go to a 40-to-50 person New Year’s Eve party with all the bells and whistles and everybody hugging and kissing and wishing each other a Happy New Year — I would strongly recommend that, this year, we do not do that,” Fauci said during a White House update on the pandemic.

As cities reduce their New Year’s Eve celebrations, his comments were heard. New York City has placed a limit on the number of people who can attend its Times Square annual New Year celebration.

The average attendance is 58,000. Each participant must provide proof that they have been vaccinated.

Los Angeles cancelled plans to have a live audience for its New Year’s Eve celebration and instead chose to stream the event. London, Paris Paris, Rome and Tokyo, as well as other international cities, have cancelled events.

Fauci stated that it was now clear, “incontrovertibly”, that the omicron virus is highly transmissible. National covid infection rates have reached an epidemic high. According to Johns Hopkins University, the average daily number of cases for the seven day period is more than 265,000. Prior to widespread vaccinations, 252,000 cases per day was the highest mark.

According to Dr. Rochelle Walsky, the director of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), omicron was a major factor in the rise in Covid-related infections. Walensky pointed out that death rates and hospitalizations are not increasing at the same pace as they were in the past.

Fauci claimed that all signs suggest that the omicron variant causes milder disease than the Delta variant. This was because the latter strain is the most common in the U.S. at the time of the fall. However, he cautioned that pre-existing immunity may be causing milder symptoms or the possibility of a more virulent omicron strain than the delta variant. Fauci said that, even though the omicron variant is more severe, it can still spread quickly and cause havoc in hospital systems across the country.

Omicron was discovered by the public just in time for the holiday season that began in the U.S. during Thanksgiving. Since then the variant has been all over the U.S., casting doubt on many people’s plans for gathering with friends and family.

Americans have been rushing to get their tests done over the holidays. This has caused a disruption in the supply chain, which was unprepared for the demand. The supply chain is struggling to maintain at-home test stocks. Lines at New York City clinics can be long, and the manufacturers are having difficulty producing enough.