U.S. COVID-19 deaths climb over Delta peak: report

People wait for COVID-19 testing in the Queens borough of New York, the United States, Dec. 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The seven-day average of COVID-19 deaths in the United States hit 2,166 on Monday, surpassing the peak of the Delta variant surge in the fall of last year, the U.S. newspaper The Hill reported on Wednesday.

Average daily deaths peaked at around 1,900 in the United States in mid-September before the Omicron variant emerged, the report said, citing the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The seven-day average is also at its highest point since last winter, the report said.

The infectiousness and spreading speed of the Omicron variant have "overwhelmed hospitals, primarily with people who have not been vaccinated," it added.  ■