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The United States is continuing to see a spike in COVID-19 cases and things don't seem to be slowing down any time soon.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new estimates on coronavirus cases Wednesday (December 29), which predict more than 44,000 Americans could die from the virus during the next month.
The CDC reports the death toll in relation to the virus has already increased by about 18%, with an average of 1,546 deaths per day, according to the data released by the agency.
The data also showed the U.S. hit a new seven-day average record of 277,000 new cases per day, which surpassed a previous record of 250,000 cases per day set in January.
Meanwhile, the CDC recently changed its guidance to shorten isolation for asymptomatic cases from 10 to five days this week.
"We know that the most amount of transmission occurs in those one to two days before you develop symptoms (to) those two to three days after you develop symptoms," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told CNN. "And if you map that out, those five days account for somewhere between 85% to 90% of all transmission that occurs."
The CDC is urging Americans to take caution during New Year's celebrations amid the continued rapid spread of COVID-19 cases, specifically the extremely contagious Omicron variant.
The agency suggests a small celebration at a friend's house in which all guests are vaccinated, boosted and have tested negative before attending the party, rather than a large indoor event.
Outdoor parties are viewed as being less risky, unless they include a large crowd of attendees.