(Bloomberg) -- Rising U.S. omicron cases are guaranteed in the coming days as the highly mutated variant has begun spreading in the community, according to Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's top medical adviser.
“We absolutely have community spread” of the strain in the U.S., Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during an appearance on Bloomberg Television's “Balance of Power with David Westin” on Friday. “There is no way you are not going to see more and more cases.”
Fauci said he was closely monitoring the situation in South Africa, where the strain was first seen, including for signs of how quickly the new variant spreads among vaccinated people. He said on the show that he will get an update from South African officials during a Zoom call Saturday morning.
The big looming question, he said, is how omicron will fare when it has to compete in places like the U.S. where the delta strain is prevalent. “Will it take off and become the dominant variant, or will it get a bit smothered by delta?” Fauci said. “The only way we are going to know” is to wait and see.
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