Fauci: The Omicron variant has not yet been identified in the country

It is still too early for experts to know if the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 causes a more serious illness, but the first information from South Africa suggests that the symptoms are not uncommon, Anthony Fauci said tonight.

The top American epidemiologist said that as of this morning, 226 confirmed cases of the variant had been recorded in 20 countries, but not in the USA.

“It is very difficult to know if this particular variant will cause a more serious illness. Although some preliminary information from South Africa does not refer to unusual symptoms (…) we do not know and it is too early to tell,” he told reporters.

President Joe Biden and his government are pushing Americans to benefit from vaccines, but the reluctance of some people is making that difficult. About 69% of Americans over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated.

“We hope (…) that there will be some degree of protection” from the vaccines against the new variant, Fauci added, adding: “If you are unvaccinated, get vaccinated. If you have been vaccinated, take the booster dose.”

On Monday, Biden said the rest of the planet would have to be vaccinated to defeat the pandemic. Asked today if the United States was doing enough to vaccinate the rest of the world, Fauci said they had done more than any other country. “Enough is a difficult word. Do we do a lot? We do a lot,” he said.

He also commented that it was difficult to vaccinate people in some South African countries and in others and many of the doses sent there remained unused. “Other African countries (…) have actually told us not to send other vaccines because they have not been able to use them adequately,” he concluded.