WASHINGTON – U.S. health officials urged Americans on Sunday (Dec. 19) to get booster shots, wear masks and be careful if they travel over the winter holidays, as the Omicron variant raged across the world and was set to take over as the dominant strain in the United States.
The government is gearing up for the next phase of the battle in a two-year fight against a virus that has killed 800,000 people in the United States and disrupted every aspect of daily life.
Two U.S. senators, Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, said on Sunday they tested positive for COVID-19 but were experiencing only mild symptoms.
Warren, 72, said on Twitter she was “grateful for the protection provided against a serious illness that comes from being vaccinated and boosted,” and urged other Americans to do the same.
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that the number of Omicron cases will rise steeply in the next two weeks.
“A big message for the day is if you’ve had vaccines and a booster, you’re very well protected against Omicron causing you severe disease. So, anybody listening to this who’s in that 60% of Americans who are eligible for a booster but haven’t yet gotten one: This is the week to do it. Do not wait,” he said.
Omicron is multiplying rapidly, making COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots more crucial than ever, chief White House medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci said on Sunday. Currently, 27% of U.S. residents have not gotten even a single dose of vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It is just, you know, raging through the world,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Omicron has been found in 43 out of 50 U.S. states and around 90 countries so far.
