Omicron’s early opinion of the seriousness of the “delightful”: Dr. Fauci Coronavirus pandemic News

Early data from the new variant do not indicate much risk, says the leading US pandemic scientist.

The first signs of the severity of the Omicron COVID-19 variant are “slightly encouraging”, but more information is still needed, according to the US pandemic chief adviser. Dr. Anthony Fauci.

“Omicron has a transmission advantage” in South Africa, where the variant was first reported, Fauci said in a CNN interview on Sunday, stating that the country had a low case rate “almost before seeing a rising vertical peak, which is almost exclusive.” Omikron ”.

“Even if it’s too early to make definitive statements about it, so far it doesn’t seem to be very serious,” he said. “So far, the signs are a little encouraging.”

Medical experts have pointed out in recent days that the South African population is deteriorating young people and that more serious cases may appear in the coming weeks.

Laboratory tests are underway for Omicron, a strain with a high mutation in the virus that is more transmissible than other strains, is resistant or more resistant to the immunity to vaccines and infections, and results are expected within a week.

Omicron 30 percent of U.S. states

Meanwhile, U.S. health officials say the variant has spread to a third of U.S. states, but the Delta version remains the majority of COVID-19 cases nationwide.

At least 15 U.S. states have reported Omicron cases in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin, according to Reuters. agency.

Many cases were among people who were fully vaccinated with mild symptoms, although the booster shot status of some patients was unknown.

“I think there’s a real risk of seeing a reduction in vaccine effectiveness,” Stephen Hoge, president of modern vaccine producer Stephen Hoge, told ABC News.

“What I don’t know is how much that is,” Hoge added. “Is it going to be the kind of thing we saw with the Delta variant, which is that vaccines were still effective after all, or we’re going to see something like a 50 percent reduction in effectiveness, which means we need to restart vaccines.”

Modern, like other pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, has already started working to adapt their vaccines if needed.

Cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed so far About 40 countries.

Vaccine adjustment efforts

Vaccine officials at COVID-19 want to quickly adapt plans to target Omicron, and U.S. regulators have promised quick reviews, but that could still take months.

Moderna Inc. has said it may apply for approval for an updated U.S. vaccine as early as March, but company officials said in a televised interview on Sunday that it will still take time to increase production.

U.S. government officials have also been working with Pfizer Inc. and Johnson & Johnson on vaccine makers.

The U.S. last week banned travel to South Africa and seven other South African countries to stop the spread of the variant.

Fauci said on Sunday he hoped the cuts would be lifted “within a fairly reasonable amount of time.”