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 The government is gearing up for the next phase of battle in a
two-year fight against a virus that has killed 800,000 people in the
United States and disrupted every aspect of daily life.
Two U.S. senators, Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, said
on Sunday they tested positive for COVID-19 but were experiencing
only mild symptoms.
Warren, 72, said on Twitter she was "grateful for the protection
provided against serious illness that comes from being vaccinated
and boosted," and urged other Americans to do the same.
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health,
told CBS' "Face the Nation" that the number of Omicron cases will
rise steeply in the next two weeks.
"A big message for today is if you've had vaccines and a booster,
you're very well protected against Omicron causing you severe
disease. So, anybody listening to this who's in that 60% of
Americans who are eligible for a booster but haven't yet gotten one:
This is the week to do it. Do not wait," he said.
Omicron is multiplying rapidly, making COVID-19 vaccinations and
booster shots more crucial than ever, chief White House medical
adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday. Currently, 27% of U.S.
residents have not gotten even a single dose of vaccine, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"It is just, you know, raging through the world," Fauci, director of
the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on
NBC's "Meet the Press."
Omicron has been found in 43 out of 50 U.S. states and around 90
countries so far.
'WAR FOOTING'
New York state recorded 22,478 positive COVID-19 cases on Saturday,
Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted on Sunday, marking the state's third
daily record in new positive cases in three days.
More than half of the state's new cases recorded on Saturday were in
New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio called for the country to
"go on a war footing" to fight the Omicron variant with more
vaccinations. He said the city would spend $10 million on an
advertising campaign to promote booster shots.
The number of cases is doubling in 1.5 to three days in areas with
community transmission, the World Health Organization said on
Saturday.
In certain regions of the United States, 50% of the COVID-19 tests
genetically sequenced detected the Omicron variant, Fauci told CNN,
"which means it's going to take over."
The virus is forcing sports leagues to reschedule games and
entertainment venues to cancel shows. The National Basketball
Association postponed five additional games on Sunday.
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 The National Hockey League said
it agreed with its players association to
continue its 2021-22 regular-season schedule, as
nearly all players and staff are vaccinated, but
would temporarily shut down individual teams on
a case-by-case basis. It also postponed
cross-border games involving Canadian and
U.S.-based teams through Thursday.
In a reminder of the pandemic's early spread on
cruise ships, about four dozen guests and crew
members aboard Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the
Seas ship, which docked in Miami on Saturday,
tested positive for COVID-19, NBC News reported,
citing a statement from the company.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis told NBC he was
considering changing the definition of fully
vaccinated in his state to three shots from two.
"I wish they'd stop talking about it as a
booster. It really is a three-dose vaccine," he
said.
BOOSTERS, TESTING, SURGE TEAMS
President Joe Biden plans to give a speech on
Tuesday about the rising COVID-19 cases,
hammering home his message to unvaccinated
Americans to get a shot and for those who are
vaccinated to get a booster.
Part of Biden's strategy is to focus on
increased testing, Fauci told CNN's "State of
the Union."
"We really need to flood the system with
testing. We need to have tests available for
anyone who wants them," he said.
Hospitals in some parts of the country are
already becoming strained by COVID-19 patients
and things are likely to get worse, the health
officials said.
"The government is prepared now to start sending
out surge teams as needed to places that are
really hit hard and the president's going to
have more to say about that in a speech on
Tuesday," Collins said.
Neither Fauci nor Collins urged vaccinated
Americans to cancel travel plans - just to wear
a mask at all times in airports, on planes,
trains and buses.
"I'm not going to say you shouldn't travel, but
you should do so very carefully," Collins said.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and David Brunnstrom;
Additional reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton,
Connecticut; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Daniel
Wallis and Peter Cooney)
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