U.S. can’t be complacent on Omicron despite reduced severity -Fauci

(Reuters) – The United States cannot be complacent about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus despite signs of its lower severity compared to the Delta variant, top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday.

The variant’s reduced severity might be overridden by the volume of cases arising from its increased transmissibility, Fauci said at a White House briefing.

“(Omicron) could still stress our hospital system because a certain proportion of a large volume of cases, no matter what, are going to be severe,” Fauci said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has no plans to change the definition of fully vaccinated, its Director Rochelle Walensky said at the briefing.