President Joe Biden sought to reassure a nation anxious about the scary new omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, as his administration Monday imposed restrictions on travel from several African countries to give Americans more time to get vaccinated.
“Sooner or later, we’re going to see cases of this new variant in the United States,” Biden said in a White House news briefing. “This variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic.”
The president’s remarks came as travel restrictions he had called for on Friday were to take effect for non-citizens entering the United States from South Africa, where the omicron variant was first detected, as well as the African countries of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.
Biden said his administration will “fight this variant with scientific knowledge and speed, not chaos and confusion.”
“We have more tools to fight this variant than ever before,” Biden said.
Though it remains unclear how effective the vaccines authorized in the U.S. by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson will be against the omicron variant, Biden said the vaccines remain the best protection. He urged everyone 5 and older to get the shots, and those 18 and older to get an additional booster dose.
The vaccines remain free and are authorized for people age 5 and up. Boosters are available for all adults 18 and older, either six months after their last Pfizer or Moderna shot or two months after their Johnson & Johnson shot. The booster does not have to be the same brand as the initial vaccination.
“Today, a fully vaccinated, boosted person is the most protected against COVID,” Biden said. “If you are not vaccinated, now is the time to get vaccinated and to take your children to get vaccinated.”
Biden also said that while it will “be a few weeks” before it becomes clear how well the vaccines protect against new variant, “in the event updated vaccinations or boosters are needed against the new variant, we will accelerate their development with every tool.”
Biden said he’s asked the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to “use the fastest process available without cutting safety” to update vaccines if necessary.Biden, who had criticized former President Donald Trump’s restrictions on travel from China and other countries early in the pandemic in 2020, defended his administration’s call for them Monday.
“We needed time to say to the people, ‘get that vaccination now,’ ” Biden said, adding that it’s “inevitable” the variant already has entered the country. “The point of travel restrictions is to give us time to get protected to get the vaccine and get the booster.”
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