More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of Covid-19 in the US have soared to their highest level on record at over 2,65,000 per day on average, a surge driven largely by thehighly contagious omicron variant. New cases per day have more than doubled over the past two weeks, eclipsing the old mark of 250,000, set in mid-January, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The fast-spreading mutant version of the virus has cast a pall over Christmas and New Year’s, forcing communities to scale back or call off their festivities just weeks after it seemed as if Americans were about to enjoy an almost normal holiday season.  Thousands of flights have been cancelled amid staffing shortages blamed on the virus. Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious-disease expert, said on Wednesday that there is no need to cancel small home gatherings among vaccinated and boosted family and friends.