"This is not March 2020": Joe Biden says America ready to face Omicron
New Delhi : President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that there is no need to panic amid Omicron fear as the US is prepared to tackle the new variant.
Omicron, now present in dozens of countries, appears to be more infectious than earlier coronavirus strains, despite early indications that it does not cause a more severe form of Covid-19 than the Delta variant.
Several countries have enhanced restrictions to contain the virus spread.
"We can see a new storm coming," warned the World Health Organization's regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge.
"We should all be concerned about Omicron but not panicked," Joe Biden said in a televised message from the White House.
"This is not March of 2020," he continued. "Two hundred million people are fully vaccinated. We're prepared, we know more. We just have to stay focused."
Omicron accounted for 73.2 percent of new US cases over the past week ending Saturday, according to the latest official data.
He also stressed on getting the booster shots to stay safe from the Omicron variant.
