The new "variant of concern" has moved well beyond southern Africa and is likely in the US, just in time for the post-Thanksgiving spikes that the likes of Gottlieb warned about. Here's what to know, from what we know so far. More here, including about what we don't know.
UPDATE, Dec. 1: It's now here in the US.
Zeynep Tufekci weighs in, warning about"pandemic theatrics" on things like travel bans that are shutting the barn door too late. She offers more at her NYT column; "dodging" version here. She also notes that Status Quo Joe, in only pushing now for the removal of vaccine intellectual property copyrights, has been part of that theatrics. (Well, she doesn't say it directly, but ... she does note this is part of why Omicron started in South Africa, from all we can tell.)
Also, per comments in her piece, it still seems likely COVID will eventually move from pandemic to epidemic, but there's no guarantee on that. Look at measles. I wouldn't call it pandemic, but it is at a minimum at the high end of endemic.
Moderna's CEO says the existing vaccines may struggle with Omicron.
On the other hand, Ugur Sahin, cofounder of BioNTech, says "don't freak out." (As long as you get a booster.)
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