President Biden said Monday that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was a “cause for concern, not a cause for panic” and urged Americans to get vaccine booster shots as more cases of the variant are reported around the world.
Flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci — both of whom wore masks — Biden acknowledged that it would be “a few weeks before we know everything we need to know about” about the new variant.
However, he told Americans still on the fence about whether to get jabbed “do not wait.”
“Go get your booster if it’s time for you to do so,” the president implored. “And if you are not vaccinated, now’s the time to get vaccinated and take your children to be vaccinated.”
Biden said authorities already are in touch with the companies that make the three US-approved coronavirus vaccines about possibly adjusting them to account for the high number of mutations in the Omicron variant, which he repeatedly mispronounced as “Omnicron.”
“In the event, hopefully unlikely, that updated vaccinations or boosters are needed to respond in this new variant. We will accelerate their development and deployment with every available tool,” Biden said.
“Dr. Fauci believes that the current vaccines provide at least some protection against the new variant and the boosters strengthen that protection significantly.”
He added: “So that we are prepared if needed, my team is already working with officials at Pfizer and Moderna and Johnson and Johnson to develop contingency plans for vaccines or boosters if needed.”
Biden said he would direct the Food and Drug Administration and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “to use the fastest process available without cutting any corners for safety to get such vaccines approved and on the market if needed.”
Biden on Friday ordered a travel ban on eight African countries including South Africa, where the new variant was first discovered. That ban takes effect Monday.
“I’m sparing no effort and removing all roadblocks keep the American people safe. All of this is confusing to a lot of people,” Biden said. “And if it’s confusing to you, let me close with a simple message: If you are vaccinated but still worried about the new version, get your booster. If you weren’t vaccinated, get that shot.”
Biden also urged listeners to “please wear your masks when you’re indoors, in public settings, around other people” — drawing immediate outrage from critics who noted the president had been photographed flouting a Nantucket store’s own requirement and shopping without a mask over Thanksgiving weekend.
The president also ruled out the prospect of using 2020-style shutdowns to combat a predicted case spike in much of the country this winter, instead touting “widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing and more.”
https://nypost.com/2021/11/29/biden-omicron-variant-a-cause-for-concern-not-panic/
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