President Joe Biden sought to assure Americans that the Omicron variant was not a cause for panic, as the country prepares itself to tackle a new strain of coronaviruses.
The president said that the variant was not a cause for panic. We have the best vaccine in the world, the best medicines, the best scientists, and we're learning more every day.
We will fight this variant with scientific and knowledgeable actions and speed. We have more tools to fight the Pandemic than we've ever had before, from vaccines to boosters to vaccines for children 5 years and older.
The US is trying to stop the spread of the Omicron variant, which was first detected in South Africa. The travel restrictions that took effect today for several countries in southern Africa were due to the rise of the variant.
Biden told a group of reporters that he wanted to be cautious.
He said at the time that they don't know a lot about the variant, except that it is of great concern.
Over 776,000 people have died of the coronaviruses in the US, with 48.2 million confirmed cases.
This is not a finished story. You can check back for updates.
