Dec 29 (Reuters) – The average number of daily COVID-19 cases in the United States has hit a record high of 258,312 over the past seven days, a Reuters tally on Wednesday showed as U.S. officials weigh the impact of the more transmissible Omicron variant.

The previous peak for the seven-day moving average was 250,141 recorded on Jan. 8 of this year.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, in a round of television interviews, said she was watching the nation’s case load and its potential impact on health care providers.

While there was some data from other countries that showed less disease with Omicron, it was too early to say what the impact might be across the United States, particularly given its uneven vaccination rates, she told MSNBC.