Omicron Covid variant has spread to more than 50 countries and 19 U.S. states, CDC director says
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The omicron Covid-19 variant that has prompted global travel restrictions and fresh vaccine mandates since its discovery in southern Africa last month has now been found in 50 countries and 19 states across the U.S., CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday.
“While we are still working to understand the severity of omicron as well as how it responds to therapeutics and vaccines, we anticipate that all of the same measures will at least, in part, provide some protection against omicron,” Walensky said, reiterating her call to get vaccinated.
White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said scientists should have some data by the middle of next week that shows how well today’s vaccines stand up to the new variant, which contains dozens of mutations that generally make it more contagious.
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