Tue 30 November 2021:
According to top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, there are at least 226 confirmed cases of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus in 20 countries.
“This mutational profile is very different from other variants of interest and concern, and although some mutations are also found in delta, this is not delta,” Fauci told reporters on a White House Covid-19 task force briefing. “These mutations have been associated with increase transmissibility and immune evasion.”
There are several other mutations to the virus that scientists haven’t seen before and don’t know how they will change how the virus behaves or spreads, he said.
“Confirmed cases as of yesterday was 205 in 18 countries, and just this morning, that’s gone up to 226 in 20 countries, and I think you’re going to expect to see those numbers change rapidly.
Importantly, it has not yet been detected in the United States,” Fauci said during a press briefing.
Concerns about the new Omicron variant have prompted countries all over the world, including the United States, to impose travel restrictions to southern African countries where the strain first emerged.
The virus variant has a “very different” mutation profile from other variants of concern such as Delta, although it is difficult to determine whether it is more transmissible, Fauci noted.
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