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In relation to the response to Omicron mutation, which is another bad factor in the current corona virus spread, some good news came in overnight. An official announcement has been made in the United States that booster vaccinations are 'clearly' effective in preventing Omicron mutations. Therefore, there was even a forecast that a new vaccine tailored to the omicron mutation was needed, but at the same time, there was also a warning that it could lead to a pandemic right now because it takes time for the effect of the booster vaccination to appear.



Correspondent Kim Soo-hyung from Washington.



<Reporter> The



number of infected with Omicron, which was only a small number, has already been counted to account for 3% of all corona infections in the United States.



In particular, New York and New Jersey accounted for 13% of the total.



[Rochelle Wallensky / Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Analyzing the initial data, omicron was more contagious than delta mutation. It's doubling every two days.]



White House Chief Medical Adviser Anthony Fauci announced that, as a result of examining South African cases, the effectiveness of Omicron's prevention dropped from 80% to 33% when only two doses of the corona vaccine were administered. However, when the third booster dose was given, the effectiveness of the vaccine was increased to 75%.



[Anthony Fauci/Chief Medical Adviser of the White House: If you have not received the vaccine, you should receive the vaccine, and especially during the Omicron epidemic, you should receive a booster dose even if you have completed the vaccination.]



He said there is no need for a new vaccine tailored to Omicron right now, as existing vaccines are still effective.



[Anthony Fauci / Chief Medical Officer of the White House: Our booster inoculation works for Omicron.

Mutation-specific boosters are not needed at this time.] The



European Center for Disease Control and Prevention also said that within the first two months of next year, Omicron is likely to become the dominant species in 30 countries including the European Union and neighboring countries.



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has even issued a warning that the omicron mutation overlaps with the delta mutation and the flu, which could lead to a pandemic as early as next month.