Health officials are hoping that early indications that the Omicron variant causes milder disease hold up. Even if that's the case, however, the sheer number of infections could mean hospitals remain overwhelmed.
There seems to be little doubt that Omicron is highly transmissible, and in the US, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the new variant now accounts for 3% of samples that are being genetically sequenced. The spread has been rapid in South Africa, Britain and some other European countries, and health officials are hoping that early indications the virus causes milder disease hold up.
"Whatever it is, the disease seems to be less severe, whether it's inherently less pathogenic as a virus or whether there's more protection in the community, we're just going to have to see when it comes in the United States," Fauci told CNN's Jim Sciutto."And for sure, Jim, it is going to be dominant in the United States, given its doubling time." CNN's Naomi Thomas and Niamh Kennedy contributed to this report.
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