Dr Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor of the White House, said that the COVID vaccines available in the United States do not need to be altered for the Omicron variant as the current booster shots work.

He said at a White House briefing on Wednesday, “Our booster vaccine regimens work against Omicron. At this point, there is no need for a variant-specific booster”, according to reports from CNBC.

Fauci based his statements on a “number of studies” that are being conducted across the globe to know more about the new variant, which was first detected in South Africa.

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He further announced that the protection from two doses of the COVID vaccines has taken a hit against the Omicron variant, plunging to 33% from 80%. However, the booster does provide expanded protection.

Jeff Zients, the coordinator for White House COVID response said while referring to data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that those who have not been vaccinated against the disease are 14 times more likely to die and eight times more likely to be hospitalised, according to reports from CNBC.

So far, 36 states in the country have reported cases of the Omicron variant, making up nearly 3% of the cases in the entire county. The Delta variant of COVID continues to be the dominant strain in the United States.

The White House on Wednesday insisted there is no need for a lockdown because vaccines are widely available and appear to offer protection against the worst consequences of the virus.

However, even if Omicron proves milder on the whole than Delta, it may disarm some of the life-saving tools available and put immune-compromised and elderly people at particular risk as it begins a rapid assault on the United States.

(With AP inputs)