The latest on the Omicron coronavirus variant

By Rhea Mogul, Adam Renton and Tara John, CNN

Updated 5:55 p.m. ET, December 3, 2021
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4:09 p.m. ET, December 3, 2021

CDC director: Omicron could become the dominant US variant — but Delta is the biggest concern now

From CNN's Jen Christensen

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Thursday, November 4.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Thursday, November 4. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)

The new Omicron variant could eventually become the dominant strain and scientists are still trying to understand how it behaves — but the biggest concern right now is the dominant Delta variant, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, said Friday.

“We now have about 86,000 cases of Covid, right now in the United States being diagnosed daily, and 99.9% of them, the vast majority of them, continue to be Delta — and we know what we need to do against Delta, and that is get vaccinated, get boosted if you're eligible and continue all of those prevention measures including masking. And those are very likely to work against the Omicron variant,” Walensky told CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Walensky said Omicron could become the dominant strain in the country, but that is not clear yet. She said the country has stepped up its sequencing work to try and learn more about the new variant. There are five states reporting cases so far. 

“What we do know is that early data, and even mutation data are telling us that this may well be a more transmissible variant than Delta. And so … this is gonna take some time to sort out,” Walensky said.

One case in Minnesota was in a resident who had had a Covid-19 booster. Walensky said they are still trying to understand more about the case. 

“It is helpful to understand that this person had mild symptoms that have, to my understanding, resolved pretty swiftly,” Walensky said. “So it this may very well be actually a story of vaccines success, and not necessarily one of vaccine failure.” 

The more mutations you have with a variant the more you want to bolster immunity, Walensky said. 

“If you have previously had infection, you will definitely be more protected if you also get a vaccine, and that's really the goal here, is to try to provide the most amount of protection as possible so people will be protected against severe disease and ideally against infection altogether,” Walensky said.

2:55 p.m. ET, December 3, 2021

CDC director: Omicron may be "more transmissible," but more time is needed to study it

From CNN's Adrienne Vogt

A medical worker seals a test tube with a Covid-19 nasal swab at San Francisco International Airport on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021.
A medical worker seals a test tube with a Covid-19 nasal swab at San Francisco International Airport on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said as health officials are learning more about the Omicron coronavirus variant, it "may be a more transmissible variant than Delta," but further research and time is required to reveal specific details.

"What we do know is that early data and even mutation data are telling us that this may well be a more transmissible variant than Delta. And so this is going to take some time to sort out," Walensky told CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta. "We are prepared, though; we are doing genomic sequencing in all of the states, but it may very well be that we start to see more Omicron than we have Delta. And we will be following that very carefully." 

Delta still accounts for "the vast majority" of Covid-19 cases in the United States, she said.

Even if a person has been infected with Covid-19 in the past, Walensky encouraged them to get vaccines and get a booster shot.

"I think is really important to understand here is the more mutations you have in a variant, the more you would like to bolster your immunity to have as much immunity as possible to overcome that variant. And so what we know now, with the Omicron variant, is more immunity will be better," Walensky said.

President Biden yesterday announced new steps to combat Covid-19 in the winter — including changing testing rules for international travelers and requiring insurance companies to pay for at-home tests — and Walensky said officials are scaling up rapid testing in US international airports.

"The whole point is to have accessible, affordable tests for when you need or want one, and that is exactly what all of the scale-up has been about," she said.

1:58 p.m. ET, December 3, 2021

Mexico confirms first case of Omicron variant 

From CNN's Karol Suarez in Mexico City

The first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant was detected in Mexico on Friday, according to Mexican Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell.

"The first positive case of the Omicron variant in Mexico is a 51-year-old person from South Africa; has a mild illness and voluntarily confined to a private hospital in Mexico City to avoid contagion," López-Gatell wrote in a tweet on Friday. 

"The diagnosis for the recovery is favorable. Since November 26, we established a virological surveillance protocol that identifies early cases of Covid-19 in people arriving from any country," he said.

According to a statement from the health ministry, the person arrived in Mexico on Nov. 21, and six days later, presented symptoms characteristic of mild Covid-19.

The health minister also wrote in a tweet that closing borders and blocking people or goods "are not useful measures to contain the variants."

He added the World Health Organization refers that vaccination continues to be essential to reduce the risks of hospitalization and death.

"We call to keep calm and continue to apply measures to avoid contagion: safe distance, use of face masks, cover your sneeze, and frequent hand washing," López-Gatell also wrote. 

Early Friday, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said it was very likely that this new variant will appear in the country, noting that "it is known that there are affected in Canada, the United States and elsewhere."

According to health authorities in Mexico, the circulation of variants of concern have been detected, such as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron.

12:22 p.m. ET, December 3, 2021

White House continues to defend travel restrictions on African countries

From CNN's Betsy Klein

Passengers wait to board flights, amidst the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 27, 2021. 
Passengers wait to board flights, amidst the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 27, 2021.  (Sumaya Hisham/Reuters)

The White House continued to defend its recent travel restrictions imposed on eight African countries due to concerns over the Omicron variant, despite the fact that the variant has now been detected across the world, including multiple cases in the United States. 

The restrictions on the African countries, which went into effect earlier this week, were described by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as “travel apartheid” Thursday. 

“We are actively monitoring the new variant, addressing the questions that have been raised about transmissibility, severity and vaccine effectiveness, and as we learn more about the variant over the coming days on all of these fronts, decisions on changes to travel policy will be based upon the advice, as they always are, of our health and medical experts,” White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters Friday. 

He continued, “We’ll continue to rely on their expertise regarding how we make sure that we keep the American people safe, and that will directly impact the duration of these travel restrictions.”

The topic has come up at multiple White House press briefings this week. Earlier Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden would continue to follow the advice of medical experts still learning more about the Omicron variant. 

“We did it on the recommendation of our health and medical experts. If they recommend we lift them, the President will follow their advice,” she said.

On Wednesday, she said the travel restrictions were “not a political decision” but were “intended to give us more time to do the necessary evaluation, data and testing required.”

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that he hopes the restrictions are “sorted out and lifted” quickly. 

“That's a very good question, an important question, and we did struggle with that. But we wanted to see if we could buy time temporarily so I do hope that this gets sorted out and lifted before it has any significant impact on the country,” said Fauci, chief medical adviser to the President.

11:30 a.m. ET, December 3, 2021

Biden says upcoming, stricter travel measures are "sufficient" to deal with Omicron right now

From CNN's Adrienne Vogt

US President Joe Biden speaks about the November Jobs Report from the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 3rd, 2021. 
US President Joe Biden speaks about the November Jobs Report from the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 3rd, 2021.  (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

President Biden reiterated that travel measures announced yesterday are "sufficient" to address the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant. Multiple cases of the new variant have been identified in the US.

"I continue to rely on scientists and asking them whether or not we have to move beyond what we did yesterday. Right now, they're saying no," Biden told reporters after speaking about November's jobs report.

The new rules, which start on Monday, will require each traveler flying into the US from another country to test negative for Covid-19 one day before their departure.

"In the United States of America, we're doing everything that needs to be done to take care of the American people within our borders. But look what's happened. We're starting to make some real progress, and we find out there's another strain. The idea that you can build a wall around America to keep any Covid from around the world out is not there," Biden said, also claiming that the US has "done more for the world in providing vaccines available and help than ... every other nation in the world combined."

Biden said he has previously suggested the suspension of vaccine patents for easier access. He said South Africa is not requesting any more vaccines at this time.

When asked about his hoarse voice while speaking, the President said he has a cold due to a "1 1/2-year-old grandson who had a cold who likes to kiss his pop." He said he gets tested for Covid-19 every day.

11:12 a.m. ET, December 3, 2021

Labor secretary on sluggish jobs report: "We still have a virus that we have to contend with"

From CNN's Betsy Klein

Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, tours Levitt Pavilion Steelstacks while visiting area businesses with Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., to discuss the American Jobs Plan in Bethlehem, Pa., on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2021. 
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, tours Levitt Pavilion Steelstacks while visiting area businesses with Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., to discuss the American Jobs Plan in Bethlehem, Pa., on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2021.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said he would not “sugarcoat” a lower-than-expected November jobs report, citing the “new normal” of the US economy in the continued aftermath of pandemic disruption. 

“I’ve certainly learned to unfortunately not follow the forecast… Every time, it’s pretty much been the forecast has been higher than the number, and a couple times, the other way around. We have to look at this as a whole plan: Since President Biden has taken office, the economy is getting stronger and stronger every day. We’re seeing nearly 6 million people returning to the workforce. We’re seeing a full two points drop off the unemployment number,” Walsh said to CNN's Jim Sciutto. 

At least 210,000 jobs were added to the US economy last month, far lower than economists’ predictions.

He continued: “Unfortunately, we still have a virus that we have to contend with. We still have concerns with childcare and other things. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, but I think that, you know, we’re going to be looking at what the new normal is at some point in the future, probably in the next couple of months.” 

On vaccine mandates, he said the administration is waiting for courts to resolve challenges to vaccine requirements.

“At the end of the day, we want to make sure we keep people safe and healthy and allow people to go back to work and come back to their workplace and feeling safe – that’s the intention behind it,” he said.  

1:32 p.m. ET, December 3, 2021

WHO's top scientist: There's a "clear relationship" between vaccine inequity and emergence of new variants

From CNN’s Naomi Thomas

A woman puts Covax stickers as workers unload a shipment of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine from a plane at Felix Houphouet Boigny airport of Abidjan on February 26, 2021. - Ivory Coast has received 504.000 doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on February 26. Covax is a global scheme to procure and distribute inoculations for free, as the world races to contain the pandemic.
A woman puts Covax stickers as workers unload a shipment of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine from a plane at Felix Houphouet Boigny airport of Abidjan on February 26, 2021. - Ivory Coast has received 504.000 doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on February 26. Covax is a global scheme to procure and distribute inoculations for free, as the world races to contain the pandemic. (Sia Kambous/AFP/Getty Images)

There is a "clear relationship" between vaccine inequity and the development of new coronavirus variants, said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist.

“Absolutely,” she said at the ReutersNEXT global conference on Friday, when asked if it was fair to say that if Africa had received and administered more vaccines, then perhaps Omicron would not be here. “I think this is a message that we’ve been — [Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus], the [WHO] director-general — has from the beginning, insisting, and it wasn’t because the equity was only for ethical reasons, it was for exactly these scientific and epidemiological reasons.” 

She said that when the virus is just transmitting and going from person to person, there would ultimately be new variants – and this will keep happening.

“Even today, it’s not too late for us to look back and really sort out this once and for all and make sure that going forward we do distribute both vaccine, but also diagnostics and drugs, because drugs are going to be needed to save people from getting sick, in an equitable way,” she said, adding that this is the reason for starting the ACT Accelerator and COVAX. 

“There’s a clear relationship between inequity in access to vaccines and the development of variants,” she said. 

Swaminathan also said that it’s possible that modified versions of Covid-19 vaccines will be needed for Omicron, but too early to know now. Studies that could answer this question will take another week or two.

9:17 a.m. ET, December 3, 2021

WHO chief scientist: It's too early to conclude Omicron coronavirus variant leads to mild illness

From CNN’s Naomi Thomas

World Health Organization Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said on Friday that it’s too early to conclude whether the Omicron coronavirus variant leads to milder illnesses overall.

Speaking at the Reuters NEXT Global Conference, Swaminathan said that it’s very early and it has only been one week since Omicron was classified a variant of concern by the WHO and just a couple of weeks since it was first observed in South Africa.

“The majority of cases reported so far, have reported to be mild,” she said. “Many of them have been vaccinated individuals, so that could be one reason why."

“But, it’s too early for us to conclude that this is a mild version,” she added.

Swaminathan cautioned that everything she was speaking about now would be different when more is known about the variant. 

“There’s always a lag between infection progressing to severe disease,” she said, adding that surges in hospitalizations and deaths come two weeks after surges of cases. 

“I think we need to wait; let’s hope it’s milder, especially in those who are vaccinated or who have some previous natural immunity, but it’s too early to conclude about the variant and its behavior as a whole,” she said. 

9:14 a.m. ET, December 3, 2021

Omicron appears to be "a very transmissible variant," WHO chief scientist says

From CNN’s Naomi Thomas

World Health Organization's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan looks on during an interview with AFP in Geneva on May 8th, 2021.
World Health Organization's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan looks on during an interview with AFP in Geneva on May 8th, 2021. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist, said on Friday that although it’s early, the Omicron variant appears to be very transmissible. 

“From the early reports that we have, starting with the Gauteng province where it was first observed, and then across the different provinces of South Africa, we do think it is quite infectious, quite transmissible, because South Africa has been reporting a very rapid increase in the number of cases. In fact, they’ve been doubling every day, and that suggests that this virus is highly transmissible,” Swaminathan said at the Reuters NEXT Global Conference.

“How much more transmissible than Delta, it’s hard to say at this point of time, but it is a very transmissible variant, that what it appears,” she said.  

Swaminathan also pointed out that “huge thanks” are owed to South Africa’s scientific and medical community, who have been updating and working nonstop to provide as much information as possible.