Booster shots of the Covid-19 vaccines already in use are enough to combat the fast-spreading omicron variant, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, president's chief medical adviser.
It is unlikely that the shots will need to be reformulated to target omicron specifically.
Our booster vaccine regimens work again, omicron. There is no need for a variant-specific booster, said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the delta variant still accounts for the vast majority of Covid 19 cases in the country, but omicron is now detected in about 3 percent of new cases.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that in some states it's even higher. The agency believes that omicron could account for 13 percent of new cases in New Jersey and New York.
The number of new omicron cases is expected to grow in the coming weeks, according to Walensky, who added that the number of new omicron cases doubles about every two days.
The omicron variant has been detected in at least 36 states.
Jeff Zients, the White House Covid 19 response coordinator, said that it's important that you get boosted today if you're eligible for a booster shot. Everyone ages 16 and up is eligible for a booster dose.
The CDC said that less than a third -- 27.2 percent - of the U.S. population able to get a booster has done so.