The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first case of the new coronaviruses variant called omicron in the U.S.
The person who tested positive for the H1N1 flu was fully vaccine-vaccinated when they returned from South Africa, according to the White House chief medical advisor.
All close contacts have been contacted and tested negative for the disease, he announced at the White House press briefing. The patient had mild symptoms, but they seem to be improving.
The CDC confirmed that the omicron variant was the one that was first conducted at the University of California, San Francisco.
Californians should not panic, said Gov. Newsom. He said that we should remain vigilant. That means you need to bevaccinated. Get increased. Wear a mask indoors. A press conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. On the variant.
The variant has been found in Canada, the U.K., Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and the UK. World leaders are worried that the virus is already seeding across the globe.
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that omicron has been reported in at least 23 countries.
Fauci said over the weekend that the variant would arrive in the US. The variant was first found in South Africa's Gauteng province, where the city of Johannesburg is located.
Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, warned Monday that omicron has already spread across the planet. He pointed to flights that arrived in Amsterdam on Friday that had 61 passengers who tested positive for Covid. The Dutch health authorities said that 14 of them were affected by the omicron strain.
Portuguese health authorities said that 13 members and staff of a professional soccer team in Lisbon were exposed to the variant after one of their players returned from a trip to South Africa.
Bancel said that it is already present in most countries. Most countries that have direct flights from South Africa in the last seven to 10 days already have cases in their country that they may not be aware of.
Non-US citizens who have traveled in South Africa and seven other nearby nations in the past 14 days will be banned from entering the US. The U.K. and the European Union have restrictions on travel.
President Joe Biden said Monday that the FDA and CDC should use the fastest process available to approve potential vaccines that target omicron and get them on the market.
The current Covid vaccines are believed to provide at least some protection from the heavily mutated omicron strain, and booster shots strengthen that protection significantly, according to Biden.
The World Health Organization classified Omicron as a "variant of concern" on Friday, meaning it is more contagious, more virulent or more skilled at evading public health measures. The variant has more than 30 changes to the spikeProtein that allows the virus to enter the body. The new strain has roughly 50 changes in total, including 10 to the binding domain of the virus that first comes in contact with cells.
The officials warned that many of the changes could lead to increased resistance to the vaccine and limit its effectiveness.
Fauci said that the omicron type of mutations might be more transmissible and that it might be hard to protect vaccines from it. We don't know that now.
He said that we need to prepare for the possibility of diminished immunity from vaccines and the need for boosters.
The symptoms of omicron have been described as mild by Dr. Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association. Bancel warned that the symptoms reported in South Africa may not be a good indicator of virulence since less than 5% of the population is over 60.
It is really difficult to know today. Bancel doesn't believe that the coming week or two in South Africa will be full of virulence of a virus.
Drugmakers responded quickly to the new variant. Pfizer and BioNTech are investigating omicron and could adapt their vaccine if needed. The vaccine was being tested against the variant. Moderna will test three booster candidates against omicron, including a higher dosage of its original Covid booster. The company said it will develop a booster dose for the variant.
Fauci said Americans should still feel safe celebrating with family and friends indoors.
He said that you can feel safe if you don't wear a mask. It is very prudent to wear a mask when you are in a public place where you don't know the status of the vaccinations.
Robert Towey and Kevin Breuninger worked for CNBC.
