Fauci says omicron can evade vaccine protection, but boosters help
ABC News
White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.
Omicron can evade the protection initial vaccines give, but boosters increase efficacy and better protect against the newest variant of concern, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.
"If you want to be optimally protected, absolutely get a booster,” Fauci told ABC's "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos.
The omicron variant was discovered in South Africa last month and has been deemed a "variant of interest" by experts. Early anecdotal data has shown that most who contract the new variant experience mild illness, but the main consensus among experts is that it's too early to tell what the long term impacts will be.
No matter how mild omicron may be, the national average seven-day COVID-19 case rate has increased 12% and hospitalizations have gone up 11% across the country, according to ABC’s COVID-19 Tracker.