Biden calls for further vaccinations, not restrictions, against omicron variant

11/29/2021 By Sebastian Ospina

President Joe Biden on Monday said the new Omicron coronavirus variant is “a cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” as federal health officials prepare for the next wave of cases of the new variant to be detected in the US.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Biden voiced to reporters that “if people are vaccinated and wear their mask, there’s no need for lockdown” when questioned about renewed restrictions across the country. 

The Omicron variant was the quickest to be labeled a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization because of its alarming spread in South Africa and its numerous worrying mutations. Only five currently meet the definition for variants of concern: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron. 

Moderna and other vaccine companies are testing existing COVID-19 vaccines to determine how effective they are against the omicron variant.