The development of the new omicron strain of the coronavirus gives an “excellent incentive” for people in the United States to seek a booster vaccine, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins, The Hill reports.
The World Health Organization conducted an emergency conference over the weekend to discuss the new coronavirus strain discovered in South Africa, classifying it as “of concern” due to the variant’s huge number of mutations and elevated risk of re-infection.
In an effort to discourage the variation from spreading further, various countries throughout the world, including the United States, have restricted travel to several South African nations over the previous week.
Collins said it might take weeks for international health experts to establish how effective immunizations used in the United States are against the new variety, named “omicron,” during a previous interview on Fox News Sunday.
Collins told CNN that the development of the new omicron variation is “another incentive” for those who haven’t gotten a coronavirus booster vaccine to get one as soon as they’re eligible.
“The booster basically increases your immune system’s capacity to identify all types of spike proteins it hasn’t seen before,” Collins added. “Today is an excellent day to get a booster shot or learn how to do so.”
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