Posted on 11/28/21
| News Source: The Hill
Leading U.S. health officials on Sunday cautioned Americans against jumping to conclusions about the omicron variant of the coronavirus as numerous countries outside South Africa, where it was first detected, report cases of the strain.
Experts stressed that data on the omicron variant is extremely limited and that data on whether it can evade vaccine immunity should be available in the next few weeks, providing a clearer picture of how countries should be addressing omicron.
Omicron was first detected in South Africa, and cases soon cropped up in neighboring African countries such as Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Countries outside the African continent have since reported cases, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Australia.
Although no cases have been confirmed in the U.S., chief White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week,” that the varent will "inevitably" appear.
"When you have a virus that has already gone to multiple countries, inevitably it will be here," said Fauci. He also defended the travel restrictions that various countries, including the U.S., have imposed since the variant was detected, saying they will give them time to better respond.
Fauci also warned that there is a possibility the omicron variant can "evade immune protection."