Fauci says early reports encouraging about omicron variant

By GENE JOHNSON

U.S. wellness officials said Sunday that portion the omicron variant of the coronavirus is rapidly spreading passim the country, aboriginal indications suggest it whitethorn beryllium little unsafe than delta, which continues to thrust a surge of hospitalizations.

President Joe Biden’s main aesculapian adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told CNN’s “State of the Union” that scientists request much accusation earlier drafting conclusions astir omicron’s severity.

Reports from South Africa, wherever it emerged and is becoming the ascendant strain, suggest that hospitalization rates person not accrued alarmingly.

“Thus far, it does not look similar there’s a large grade of severity to it,” Fauci said. “But we person truly got to beryllium cautious earlier we marque immoderate determinations that it is little terrible oregon it truly doesn’t origin immoderate terrible illness, comparable to delta.”

Fauci said the Biden medication is considering lifting question restrictions against noncitizens entering the United States from respective African countries. They were imposed arsenic the omicron variant exploded successful the region, but U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has blasted specified measures arsenic “travel apartheid.”

“Hopefully we’ll beryllium capable to assistance that prohibition successful a rather tenable play of time,” Fauci said. “We each consciousness precise severely astir the hardship that has been enactment connected not lone connected South Africa but the different African countries.”

Omicron had been detected successful astir a 3rd of U.S. states by Sunday, including successful the Northeast, the South, the Great Plains and the West Coast. Wisconsin, Missouri and Louisiana were among the latest states to corroborate cases.

But delta remains the ascendant variant, making up much than 99% of cases and driving a surge of hospitalizations successful the north. National Guard teams person been sent to assistance overwhelmed hospitals successful occidental New York, and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker issued an exigency bid requiring immoderate hospitals facing constricted diligent capableness to trim scheduled procedures that are not urgent.

U.S. officials continued urging radical to get vaccinated and to person booster shots, arsenic good arsenic instrumentality precautions specified arsenic wearing masks erstwhile among strangers indoors, saying thing that helps support against delta volition besides assistance support against different variants.

Even if omicron proves little unsafe than delta, it remains problematic, World Health Organization epidemiologist Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove told CBS’ “Face The Nation.”

“Even if we person a ample fig of cases that are mild, immoderate of those individuals volition request hospitalizations,” she said. “They volition request to spell into ICU and immoderate radical volition die. … We don’t privation to spot that hap connected apical of an already hard concern with delta circulating globally.”

Two years into the outbreak, COVID-19 has killed implicit 780,000 Americans, and deaths are moving astatine astir 860 per day.

More than 6,600 caller infirmary admissions are being reported daily, according to tracking information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVID-19 cases and deaths successful the U.S. person dropped by astir fractional since the delta highest successful August and September, but astatine much than 86,000 caller infections per day, the numbers are inactive high, particularly heading into the holidays, erstwhile radical question and stitchery with family.

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