Johns Hopkins says that the U.S. recorded a stunning 1 million new COVID-19 cases on Monday as the omicron variant fuels previously unseen levels of transmission throughout the country.

The 1 million cases recorded on Monday shatters the previous daily case record of 590,000, which Johns Hopkins says was set on Thursday. Before the arrival of the highly contagious omicron variant, the record for the number of daily cases in the U.S. was just under 300,000, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says occurred on Jan. 8, 2021.

The number of those infected with COVID-19 is likely higher, as not every person infected seeks out a test and not all home tests are recorded.

The surge in new cases has caused a significant disruption in the U.S. workforce, as hundreds of thousands of people stay home to isolate themselves as they deal with infections. The CDC recently slashed the recommended isolation time from 10 days to five days in the hopes of returning more people to the workforce.

Top U.S. health experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci say that as of last week, all signs point to omicron causing a less severe COVID-19 infection. And while the variant has shown to be more able to evade vaccines, the shots still provide significant protection against severe infection and death.

Johns Hopkins

However, Fauci warned that omicron should "not be taken lightly," as its highly contagious nature could result in case rates that overwhelm health systems in certain parts of the country — particularly in areas with low rates of vaccination.

Indeed, the CDC reports that the U.S. is beginning to see an increase in hospitalizations linked to the surge in omicron. New hospitalizations have increased 45% in the past seven days, though the good news is that they have not yet reached the high levels seen last winter despite the record number of infections.

The CDC reports that deaths have remained relatively stagnant in the past week and have even dropped slightly. However, increases in the death rate typically lag a few weeks behind increases in new cases and hospitalizations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. set another daily record for new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday with nearly 490,000.

The CDC's COVID Data Tracker reports that the U.S. recorded 486,428 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, besting the previous daily record set on Monday.

The CDC says the U.S. has recorded at least 400,000 new cases of COVID-19 every day since Monday.

For the last seven days, the U.S. has averaged more than 316,000 new cases a day, the highest recorded level since the start of the pandemic.

The actual number of people who contracted COVID-19 in the U.S. is likely higher because not everyone who contracts the virus will seek out a test or report an at-home positive test.

The surge in cases comes as the highly contagious omicron variant of COVID-19 spreads rapidly throughout the country. Earlier this week, health officials said that while the newly-discovered strain is highly infectious, all signs point to it causing less severe disease than past strains.

The increase in new cases has not yet led to a rise in deaths, which slightly decreased in the past week. The CDC adds that there was only a slight increase in new hospitalizations from COVID-19 in the past week.

Surges in hospitalizations and deaths typically lag behind surges in new cases. While White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci expects both to rise in the weeks ahead, the nature of omicron may cause a less severe spike.

"That pattern in the disparity between cases and hospitalizations strongly suggests that there will be a lower hospitalization-to-case ratio when the situation becomes more clear," Fauci said Wednesday.

Fauci also warned that Americans must stay vigilant, as the highly transmissible nature of omicron could cause health care systems in some areas to be overwhelmed, particularly in areas where vaccination rates are low.