Mayo Clinic’s Predictive Analytics Task Force anticipates peak for omicron variant of COVID-19 coming soon

The U.S. hasn’t yet reached a national peak in the surge of the omicron variant. But experts say it is coming soon. COVID-19 cases are beginning to plateau in certain parts of the country.

Mayo Clinic’s Predictive Analytics Task Force has been tracking COVID-19 cases in the U.S. since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts have been involved in building and maintaining predictive modeling for COVID-19 that allows clinic leaders to make informed decisions about hospital operations.

Dr. Curtis Storlie, a Mayo Clinic data scientist who is on the task force, stated to KAUS News that he anticipates a peak to occur before the end of January. Shortly after that, the modeling shows an abrupt decline in COVID-19 cases….

Dr. Storlie went on to state that the highly contagious omicron variant caused the number of COVID-19 cases to skyrocket over the past two months, and he added that it should not be taken lightly…

Despite the expected decline in COVID-19 cases, Dr. Storlie says everyone should take the necessary precautions, including masking, vaccinations and booster vaccinations, to prevent a surge from another variant in the future…

Since the omicron surge, the Mayo Clinic hospital system has seen an increase in COVID patients taking up inpatient beds, but a decrease in those being moved to the ICU.  Data scientists also say there’s no such thing as widespread herd immunity when it comes to COVID-19. Herd immunity may exist locally, but they stated that’s largely due to behavior change such as masking and social distancing. Experts believe it is not due to widespread infection. However, after the state peaks in omicron cases we’re likely to see what experts call a “honeymoon period” of low spread and low case numbers.