Nov. 29, 2021 -- President Joe Biden said Monday that disposable vaccines are expected to supply immoderate extortion against the caller Omicron COVID-19 variant, and national wellness officials are moving to stitchery much accusation connected its potency earlier the archetypal cases are detected successful the United States.
He was accompanied by apical infectious illness adept Anthony Fauci, MD. The president had been briefed by wellness officials connected Sunday.
Biden said helium does not expect lockdowns oregon tighter restrictions, and helium hopes to combat the variant by expanding vaccination rates.
“This variant is simply a origin for concern, not a origin for panic,” helium said. “We’ll combat this variant with technological and knowledgeable actions and speed, not chaos and confusion. We person much tools contiguous to combat the variant than we ever person before.”
Scientists volition beryllium moving implicit the adjacent respective weeks to larn much astir the microorganism and to find the level of extortion provided by disposable COVID-19 shots. Omicron was archetypal detected successful South Africa, prompting Biden to enforce a question ban, and cases person present been reported successful respective European countries arsenic good arsenic Canada.
Biden praised the South African wellness assemblage for rapidly notifying the satellite of this variant, and helium said the question prohibition was enactment successful spot to supply much clip for U.S. residents to get vaccinated and boosted.
“The champion extortion against this caller variant, oregon immoderate of the variants retired there, is getting afloat vaccinated and getting a booster shot,” helium said.
He continued: “While it’ll beryllium a fewer weeks earlier we’ll cognize everything we request to cognize astir however beardown the existing vaccines support against the variant, Dr. Fauci, who is with maine today, and our aesculapian squad judge that the vaccines volition proceed to supply a grade of extortion against terrible disease.”
He urged radical to proceed wearing masks indoors successful nationalist settings for an other furniture of protection.
In the improbable lawsuit that the vaccines are not effectual against the variant, Biden said, the White House is moving with Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson to “develop contingency plans for boosters if needed.”
“I volition besides nonstop the FDA and CDC to usage the fastest process disposable without cutting immoderate corners for information to get these vaccines approved and connected the market, if needed,” helium said.
But helium stressed that this is unlikely.
“As we proceed this effort, let’s retrieve wherever we stand,” helium said. “We’re successful a precise antithetic spot arsenic we participate the period of December, compared to wherever we were past Christmas.”
He noted that lone 1% of American adults were vaccinated past December, and this December, that fig volition beryllium implicit 70%.
“If you are vaccinated but inactive disquieted astir the caller variant, get your booster,” helium said. “If you aren’t vaccinated, spell get that archetypal shot.”
English (US) ·