Tue 30 November 2021:
Amid widespread concern over the new Omicron coronavirus variety, Joe Biden has advised Americans to receive COVID-19 vaccines. However, the US president says the strain should be considered a “cause for concern, not a cause for panic.”
Biden said senior US health officials are speaking with key vaccine makers and preparing for possible adjustments to account for Omicron’s mutations in remarks delivered at the White House on Monday.
However, he emphasized that the US was in a good position to curb Omicron’s potential spread without resorting to lockdowns or more travel bans for the time being — in addition to the restrictions already imposed on eight southern African countries.
“This variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” he said. “If you are vaccinated, but still worried about the new variant, get your booster. If you aren’t vaccinated, get that shot. Go get that first shot.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s main medical adviser, believes that current vaccines will protect against the new variant, with boosters improving protection. “We’ll fight this variant with scientific and knowledgeable actions and speed, not chaos and confusion,” he stated.
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US recently expanded its prescription for booster vaccines to all adults, although an estimated 47 million individuals in the US have not yet been vaccinated (CDC).
“The point of the [travel] restriction is to give us time to get people vaccinated,” Biden said on Monday.
Although no cases of the Omicron form have been documented in the United States so far, Fauci has warned that the virus is most likely already present.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that the worldwide risk of Omicron spreading was “very high,” and encouraged 194 member countries to accelerate vaccinations to high-risk groups.
According to the WHO, no Omicron-related deaths have been documented, but more research is needed to determine whether it has the potential to overcome immunity produced by vaccines and previous infections.
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