ASSOCIATED PRESS — U.S. health officials say that while the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is rapidly spreading in the country, early indications suggest it may be less dangerous than Delta, which continues to drive a surge of hospitalizations.
President Joe Biden’s chief medial adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told CNN’s “State of the Nation” scientists need more information before drawing conclusion’s about Omicron’s severity. But reports from South Africa, where it emerged and is becoming the dominant strain, suggest hospitalization rates have not increased alarmingly.
Omicron had been detected in about a third of U.S. states by Sunday.
Fauci said the Biden administration is considering lifting travel restrictions against noncitizens entering the United States from several African countries.