[앵커]
The White House coronavirus response team said the new mutant Omicron has already spread to more than 20 countries, but there is no evidence that it exists in the United States yet.
However, considering that it will soon spread in the United States, we started to prepare countermeasures such as checking the related budget.
Correspondent Kang Tae-wook in Washington DC.
[기자]
CDC Director Rochelle Wallensky said the dominant coronavirus mutation in the U.S. remains delta.
Analysis shows that 99.9% of infections are due to delta mutations.
[로쉘 웰렌스키 / 미국 질병예방통제센터(CDC) 국장 : 현재 미국에는 오미크론의 증거가 없습니다. 델타 변이는 표본 추출된 모든 염기서열의 99.9%를 차지하며 여전히 지배적인 순환 변이로 남아 있습니다.]
Director Anthony Fauci also reaffirmed that Omicron has not yet been found in the United States.
He also explained that there were no specific symptoms yet.
However, as it has already spread to 20 countries, there are concerns that the spread will occur quickly.
[앤서니 파우치 / 미국 국립알레르기·전염병연구소 소장 : 20개국에서 226개의 경우까지 증가했습니다. 그 수치들이 신속하게 변하는 것을 예상할 것으로 생각합니다. 중요한 것은 아직 미국에서 감지되지 않았다는 점입니다.]
Accordingly, the White House has taken measures to prepare for the spread, such as identifying the available budget.
We are also looking at how much additional funding would be needed in the worst case scenario, requiring immediate, bulk purchases of Omicron-specific vaccines.
In the midst of this, Merck and MSD in the US predicted that their pill treatment would also be effective against Omicron.
[니콜라스 카트소니스 / MSD사 박사 : 우리는 오미크론 변이에 대해 우리가 알고 있는 것을 바탕으로 몰누피라비르가 효과적일 것이라고 예상합니다.]
However, Moderna CEO said existing vaccines may not work well with Omicron, while BioNTech CEO said Pfizer vaccines will provide strong protection.
Although there are mixed views on the Omicron mutation, the White House response team is emphasizing that the existing vaccine is still an effective response and that a booster vaccination is needed.
This is Taewook Kang from YTN from Washington.
YTN Kang Tae-wook (taewookk@ytn.co.kr)
[저작권자(c) YTN & YTN plus 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]
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