By: Sophia Powell

Since the start of 2022 and with the discovery of the Omicron Variant, the amount of Covid cases in the world has surged and it’s almost like we’re back to the beginning of Covid. According to data from John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, on January 4, 2022, these states have had the most Covid cases:

1. New York- Since the beginning of the pandemic, New York has been known to be a “hotspot” because it’s been the state with the most Covid cases. The number has only gone higher mainly because of the holidays and New Year’s eve. The seven-day moving case average in New York since the new year is 64,030 placing New York as number one on the list as the state with the most cases in America.
2. California- The most populated state in America and the first state to initiate a statewide shelter-in-place rule has recently had a large spark in Covid cases recently. One of the main reasons behind the spark in cases is California’s population. California is home to more people than the population of Canada. So this brings California’s seven-day moving case average to 59,084.
3. Texas- In Texas only 57% of the population is vaccinated, which is a problem because this means that 43% of the population still is not vaccinated. According to houstonpublicmedia.org, their hospitals are typically ready for pneumonia and flu season, but were not nearly ready for the sudden spark in Covid cases. Because of this, Texas’s  seven-day moving case average is 55,744.
4. Florida- Surprisingly, Florida is number four on the list despite its lackluster response. Florida has only shut down once during the whole pandemic and hasn’t done so since. Florida doesn’t have a mask mandate and schools are still running, but compared to the states that shut down and still have mask mandates, we don’t have nearly as many cases as them. However, our seven-day moving case average is still 37,563.
5. Illinois- Illinois has broken their record high and now averages about 25,183 Covid cases per day, their highest average yet even during the worst time of the pandemic, with some of their biggest hospitals having been filled with more than 7,000 patients. One of the main reasons behind the sudden spark in cases is the new variants like Delta and Omicron. This brings Illinois seven-day moving case average to 28,405.

There are tons of different ways to prevent Covid-19 like wearing a mask, social distancing, and getting vaccinated. Likewise, you should also do your best to avoid big crowds and social gatherings, wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer.