November 30, 2021: -On Sunday, Americans need to be prepared to do “anything and everything” to fight the omicron Covid variant, U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said.
Still, it’s if lockdowns or new mandates will be appropriate, Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Last week, the World Health Organization classified omicron as a “variant of concern,” meaning it is contagious, more virulent, or more skilled at evading public health measures, vaccines, and therapeutics.
First discovered in South Africa, the variant has several mutations to the spike protein that allows the virus to enter the body. Some of those mutations lead to increased antibody resistance and transmissibility.
The U.S. had said it would restrict non-U.S. citizens from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi. The variant is found in the U.K., Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Australia, and Hong Kong, but in the U.S.
“Inevitably, it will be here. The question is will we be prepared for it? If and when, and it will be when, it comes here. Hopefully, we will be ready for it,” Fauci added.
A White House official said that Fauci met on Sunday with President Joe Biden and the Covid response team to discuss the variant and the administration’s response.
At the meeting, Fauci said that while it will take about two weeks to have more definitive information on the variant’s transmissibility, severity, and other characteristics, he believes existing vaccines are likely to provide a degree of protection.
Fauci also reiterated that boosters for completely vaccinated individuals provided the most robust available protection from Covid and emphasized that adults and children who are not yet vaccinated should get vaccinated immediately.
Biotech companies have sprung into action to fight against omicron. Moderna’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton said that the vaccine maker could roll out a reformulated vaccine against the omicron coronavirus variant early in the coming year. However, it’s not clear whether new formulations will be needed or current vaccines provide appropriate protection.
Fauci said unvaccinated people should still get available Covid vaccinations, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.
“We need to, as I’ve said so often, prepare for the worst. And it may not be that we were going to have to go the route people are saying,” Fauci told ABC. “While deciding based on the science and evidence as we always do.”
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