Covid cases on the rise again, but it's still delta, not omicron, driving the surge - CNBC

Even as more and more states report their first cases of the omicron variant, it's still the super contagious delta variant that's driving nearly all new Covid-19 cases in the United States.

By all accounts, the driver of current Covid cases across the United States remains the delta variant of the coronavirus, not omicron.

"I know that the news is focused on omicron, but we should remember that 99.9 percent of cases in the country right now are from the delta variant," Dr.

Walensky reported that the current seven-day average of new Covid cases is about 86,400 per day.

How omicron may drive cases moving forward remains a mystery.

Mary Bassett, health commissioner for the New York State Department of Health, said her team has ramped up genetic sequencing to detect and study the omicron variant.

"We urge the public not to panic, as we are still learning more about this variant and are prepared to handle it," Bassett said during a news conference Thursday.

Will omicron overtake delta as the predominant variant.