Chief White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that he does not think the U.S. will see another surge in COVID-19 cases due to the spread of a new omicron variant, even though cases are rising in Europe and Asia due to the strain.
American immunologist and head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Fauci said while appearing on ABC's "This Week" that the new omicron strain is about 50 to 60 percent more transmissible than the first omicron strain, adding that it could take over as the dominant strain in the U.S. "Hopefully, we won't see a surge. I don't think we will. The easiest way to prevent that is to continue to get people vaccinated. And for those who have been vaccinated, to continue to get them boosted, so that's really where we stand right now," said Fauci, though he acknowledged the U.S. will likely see an "uptick" in cases.