The President of the United States, Joe Biden, considered this Monday (29) that the new variant of Covid-19, called omicron, “is cause for concern, but not panic”, and said that experts do not believe that ” additional measures” are needed in the country.
Biden made this statement during a speech at the White House, accompanied by the US government’s chief epidemiologist, Anthony Fauci.
The president stressed that the country is in a “better situation” than it was on Christmas last year, and urged citizens to seek the reinforcement of vaccines available in the United States.
The new variant, first identified in South Africa, “is cause for concern but not for panic,” Biden said, acknowledging that it is “almost inevitable” that “at some point” the new variant will reach the country.
As of Monday, the US has imposed restrictions on travelers from South Africa and seven other southern African countries. “We still don’t believe that additional measures will be necessary,” he added, and he defended these limitations to “buy time” and increase vaccination in the country.
“If people are vaccinated and wear a mask,” he added, “there is no need for confinement.” The United States, the country hardest hit by the pandemic with more than 775,000 deaths, has almost 60% of its population fully vaccinated, and about 20% have already received the booster dose.
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