Despite the Omicron variant appearing milder than previous strains, both the United States and Australia are reporting record high hospitalisation rates due to COVID-19.

Currently, 150 per million Australians are hospitalised with COVID-19, more than double the peak of the Delta wave, where 60 Australians per million were hospitalised.

In the last two days, the United States recorded 414 hospitalisations per million people, already a higher amount than the peak of hospitalisations last US winter where 404 Americans per million were hospitalised with COVID-19. 

Australian and US COVID-19 hospitalisations per million people

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/11/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html
Source: USSC