"Record numbers testing positive for a sore throat isn’t a crisis. And people in the hospital for car accidents testing positive isn’t a surge," Rubio tweeted on Friday. "The real crisis is the irrational hysteria which has people with no symptoms waiting hours for a test or missing work for 10 days."
The average number of daily cases in the U.S. has hit 386,920 as of Saturday, the New York Times reported. Rubio’s home state of Florida broke its single-day record of total coronavirus cases for the fourth time in seven days last week, recording 75,900 cases on December 31.
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The spread of Omicron during the holiday season has encouraged thousands of people across the nation to get tested. Americans have sounded off with frustration over long lines and hours-long wait stretches at testing facilities as the country grapples with a shortage of at-home testing kits.
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Studies indicate the Omicron variant is milder than previous iterations, including a study conducted by a group of American and Japanese researchers finding that the variant has less damaging effects on the lungs, nose, and throat. A recent study out of the U.K. also found that people infected with omicron are less likely to need hospitalization than those with the Delta variant.
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Later on New Year’s Eve, Rubio tweeted he was happy to see the stadium for the Orange Bowl in the Miami area was packed despite the "hysteria."
"Very happy to see a packed stadium for tonight’s #OrangeBowl," he tweeted. "There is no reason to close, limit or cancel anything. Ignore the hysteria & have a great New Year's Eve!"
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Rubio's tweet gets at some of the frustrations people are feeling about the coronavirus pandemic as it enters a third year. The new highly contagious Omicron variant has led to a sharp rise in cases with the United States hitting new daily records.
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Much of the country is also vaccinated, and while vaccinations do not prevent people from getting Omicron, they are seen as greatly reducing the severity of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week shifted its guidelines, saying that asymptomatic people with COVID-19 can end their isolation after five days — instead of the 10 days previously recommended. Government health officials have said the reason is in part to get people back to work.
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