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White House warns of January virus surge, says boosters protect against Omicron variant

President Biden gets a shot in his upper left arm.
President Biden receives his booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Sept. 27. White House officials said Wednesday they are concerned about a looming rise in infections caused by the coronavirus’ Omicron variant.
(Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)
By Anumita Kaur
 and Erin B. Logan
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WASHINGTON —  Cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus are expected to rise next month after families gather for the holidays, White House officials said Wednesday, citing new data that suggest the variant is highly transmissible but can be blunted by vaccine booster shots.

While Omicron is responsible for just 3% of all coronavirus cases around the country — a majority are caused by the Delta variant — health officials expect its share of infections to grow in coming weeks, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That’s because the latest statistics show that Omicron cases double about every two days, Walensky said during a White House briefing for reporters on COVID-19.

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Walensky implored eligible Americans to get vaccinated and booster shots.

“Vaccination, boosting and masking are especially critical for those who are most vulnerable,” she said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, highlighted data that show two-dose vaccines were not as effective against Omicron as they were against previous variants. But, he said, booster shots held up well against the variant, and scientists would not need to create an Omicron-specific booster just yet.

“The message remains clear,” said Fauci, who also serves as the White House’s chief medical advisor. “If you are unvaccinated, get vaccinated, and particularly in the arena of Omicron, if you are fully vaccinated, get boosted.”

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The United States is averaging 117,900 new coronavirus cases a day, and the country this week recorded its 800,000th death from COVID-19, White House officials said.

Carolyn Burnett sorts through mementos to select items to commemorate her son Chris Burnett on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Olathe, Kan. Chris Burnett, an unvaccinated 34-year-old father who coached football at Olathe East High School, died in September as a result of COVID-19 after nearly two weeks on a ventilator. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Science & Medicine

COVID deaths in U.S. reach 800,000 near year’s end

The U.S. has the highest number of COVID deaths as it nears the end of an especially difficult year for families who lost loved ones in the pandemic.

Seventy-two percent of all Americans have received at least one shot while 61% are fully vaccinated, according to federal statistics. Just 27% of fully vaccinated Americans have received booster shots.

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PoliticsScience & MedicineCOVID-19 Pandemic
Anumita Kaur

Anumita Kaur is a journalist for the Los Angeles Times, based out of the Washington, D.C., bureau. Kaur was born and raised in California. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara, where she studied sociology and history. Prior to joining The Times in November 2021, she was a reporter for Pacific Daily News on Guam, where her work spanned just about everything, but brought particular focus onto the island’s U.S. military presence. She is a member of the 2021-22 Los Angeles Times Fellowship class.

Erin B. Logan

Erin B. Logan is a former reporter for the Los Angeles Times who covered Congress, the White House and national politics. She also has reported for the Baltimore Sun, National Public Radio and the Washington Post. Logan grew up in Atlanta and graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2017 and American University in 2018. She was named to Forbes’ 2023 30 Under 30 in Media.

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