Craig, I appreciate that omicron is less virule

Craig,

I appreciate that omicron is less virulent than delta, apparently about 30% less in the unvaccinated and previously infected. Due to immune evasion, a huge number of infections with mild disease course among seroconverted patients.

Throughout the pandemic, critical disease, hospitalization and deaths have lagged infections by 2-3 weeks. There is no indication that this has changed.

While the proportion of critical illness with omicron /3rd/4th/5th wave is lower than previously, hospitalizations and deaths do correlate with total case counts.

Difficult to upload pictures from my phone, but follow this link to see the experience of NY over the last few months. A lower ratio of deaths than in 2020, but nonetheless a substantial increase in deaths associated with omicron generated wave of infections.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa/new-york/

While it is appropriate to temper expectations, AE is a well respected ARO and hospital system (first non-US joint commission accredited hospital which is meaningful to all the nurses, physicians and administrators here). There is little reason to expect that AE would fail to execute.