Washington: Christmas travel will increase the spread of Omicron variant, even among the fully vaccinated, said Anthony Fauci, top US infectious disease expert.
“There’s no doubt about this, [Omicron] has an extraordinary capability of spreading,” he said while speaking NBC News on Sunday.
He also warned that the next few weeks will put a severe pressure on the hospitals as the variant is now “raging through the world”.
“Our hospitals, if things look like they’re looking now, in the next week or two are going to be very stressed with people, because, again, we have so many people in this country (US) who are eligible to be vaccinated who have not yet been vaccinated,” he said.
He, however, urged people to be vaccinated, boosted, tested, wear masks and maintain social distance to prevent the spread of Omicron during the holiday season.
He said, “We are going to see breakthrough infections, there’s no doubt about that. The difference between a vaccinated and boosted person who has an infection and someone who has an infection who’s never been vaccinated, there’s a major difference with regard to the risk of severity.”
On Sunday, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker said they have tested positive for Covid-19 despite being vaccinated and even boosted.
“I learned today that I tested positive for COVID-19 after first feeling symptoms on Saturday. My symptoms are relatively mild. I’m beyond grateful to have received two doses of vaccine and, more recently, a booster – I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse,” Booker said on Twitter.
