The Heat: Concerns rise as Omicron variant spreads around the world

The Heat

The Omicron variant has been found in at least 45 countries.

Confirmed cases rose in Britain and Denmark over the weekend, while health officials in the United States report the coronavirus variant has been detected in at least a third of the country. With little known about its transmissibility and how well the vaccines will hold up against it, the W-H-O is urging extreme caution.

To discuss concerns over the Omicron variant:

  • Peter Chin-Hong is a professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.
  • Joseph Williams is a former senior news editor at U.S. News & World Report. 
  • Paul Hockenos is a European affairs journalist and author.
  • William Haseltine is the chair and president of Access Health International, and the author of “Variants: The Shape-Shifting Challenge of Covid-19 Vaccine Evasion Reinfection”.

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