Omicron reaches nearly one-third of U.S. states

The United States has identified several dozen cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects the number to grow. So far, the variant does not appear to be causing an increase in hospitalizations in the country. Omicron, which scientists first identified last month in South Africa, has up to 30 mutations in its spike protein, possibly affecting transmissibility and vaccine effectiveness. On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease specialist, said the strain so far does not appear to cause illness as severe as the widespread delta variant.

What about delta? Delta remains the dominant variant in the United States. It makes up more than 99 percent of recorded cases, and it’s driving a surge of hospitalizations in the North.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Sift about President Joe Biden’s plan for the country to combat COVID-19 during the winter months.