The Omicron variant is found in almost a third of US states by Reuters

By Matt Spetalnick and Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread to a third of U.S. states, but the Delta version remains the majority of COVID-19 infections as cases grow nationwide, U.S. health officials said Sunday.

Although the appearance of the new variant has caused alarm around the world, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. chief infectious disease manager, told CNN “so far it doesn’t seem to be very serious,” but added that it was excessive. early definitive conclusions and further analysis are needed.

Fauci, the chief medical adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, said the United States hopes to lift the ban on travelers from southern African countries “within a reasonable time frame.”

The South African government has complained that it is being punished – rather than applauded – for finding a new variant and for informing international health officials quickly.

Fauci, in CNN’s “State of the Union” program, praised South Africa’s transparency and said the US travel ban was imposed at a time when “we were really in the dark” and needed time to study the variant.

At least 16 U.S. states have reported Omicron cases: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin, according to Reuters counts.

Many of the cases were among people who were fully vaccinated with mild symptoms, although some patients did not report booster shot status.

Despite several dozen Omicron cases, the Delta variant still accounts for 99.9% of new COVID cases in the United States, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told ABC News in an interview.

“We’re hearing more and more cases every day, it’s likely to increase that number,” he said.

The U.S. has reported an average of 119,000 new cases a day in the past seven days and lost nearly 1,300 lives a day at COVID, according to a Reuters count.

Louisiana currently has a case of Omicron from a person who traveled to the United States, his health department said Sunday.

On Saturday, a Norwegian cruise line (NYSE 🙂 Holdings Ltd, which will dock in New Orleans with more than 3,000 passengers, said a cruise ship had found COVID-19 cases on board. Officials said they would test passengers on Norwegian Breakaway, which stopped in Belize, Honduras, and Mexico, and provide instructions for post-exposure and quarantine at the CDC.

The governors of the other two states that reported Omicron cases – Connecticut and Colorado – said they hoped their vaccination rates would be more impactful than average.

“We want to see how vaccines are maintained,” Jared Polis of Colorado told ABC.

As U.S. Omicron cases unfold, COVID-19 vaccine makers aim to quickly adjust their plans to target the variant, and U.S. regulators have vowed quick reviews, but it could still take months.

“The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is definitely moving fast and the CDC is moving fast,” Walensky said.

Modern (NASDAQ 🙂 Inc. aims to approve an updated U.S. vaccine as soon as March, but company officials said Sunday that it will still take time to increase production.

Noubar Afeyan, the founder and president of Moderna, told CNN that it would take another seven or ten days to gather key data. Then, “60 to 100 good days will be needed” to expand Omicron’s specific plan, although other options such as a higher dose of the current booster are being explored, he said.

They are also working with U.S. government officials Pfizer Inc (NYSE 🙂 and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE 🙂 are in the updated plans, while Pfizer and Merck & Co Inc are doing COVID-19 pill treatments.