Chief US infectious disease specialist Fauci: omicron infectiousness threatens the US health care system
Anthony Fauci. Photo: Leah Millis / Reuters
The new omicron strain of the coronavirus causes a less severe course of the disease, but its transmissibility threatens the health system, the chief infectious disease specialist of the United States Anthony Fauci told ABC television.
A large number of cases of omicron-strain infection can neutralize the positive effect of reducing the severity of the disease, he said. “And we are especially worried about the unvaccinated, they are most vulnerable when you have a virus that is extremely infectious to humans,” he said.
Fauci added that as the new variant of coronavirus infection spreads in the United States, the number of new cases is likely to continue to rise. “The average for the last week was about 150 thousand, and it is likely to be much higher,” – said the infectious disease specialist.
Earlier, Anthony Fauci predicted a difficult winter for the Americans due to the omicron strain of the coronavirus. The chief US infectious disease specialist stressed that the new strain has extraordinary spreading potential, and suggested that the number of infections in the United States would rise in the next two weeks.
