Omicron Covid variant has unfold to greater than 50 nations and 19 U.S. states, CDC director says

The omicron Covid-19 variant that has prompted international journey restrictions and contemporary vaccine mandates since its discovery in southern Africa final month has now been present in 50 nations and 19 states throughout the U.S., CDC Director Rochelle Walensky mentioned Tuesday.

“Whereas we’re nonetheless working to grasp the severity of omicron in addition to the way it responds to therapeutics and vaccines, we anticipate that all the identical measures will a minimum of, partly, present some safety towards omicron,” Walensky mentioned throughout a White Home Covid-19 press briefing, reiterating her name to get vaccinated.

Jeff Zients, who’s main the White Home’s Covid response efforts, mentioned vaccinations have surged with roughly 12.5 million photographs administered over the past week — 7 million of which have been booster photographs.

“That is the best weekly complete variety of photographs since Could,” he mentioned. “So we’re now vaccinating folks in numbers we have not seen because the spring.”

White Home chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci mentioned scientists ought to have some information by the center of subsequent week that reveals how properly in the present day’s vaccines stand as much as the brand new variant, which incorporates dozens of mutations that typically make it extra contagious.

This story is breaking. Test again for updates.