The latest on the Omicron coronavirus variant

There are still some key unanswered questions about the Omicron coronavirus variant, but emerging evidence appears to hold clues to the virus' transmissibility and severity, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said during a virtual White House briefing Tuesday.

"If one looks at the transmissibility, we have molecular evidence to suggest that the mutations that are seen in Omicron and in other variants would suggest that they are associated with increased infectivity. Real-world evidence is accumulating rapidly – literally on a daily basis – to allow us to determine increase in cases, possible increase in reproductive number and the rapid replacement of Delta by Omicron in certain situations," Fauci said, referring to data from South Africa.

The world can expect to learn more about the Omicron variant in the next couple of weeks, Fauci told CNN's Betsy Klein during the briefing.

"Most of the data on the severity will likely come first from South Africa, because of the volume of cases that they have. Given severity, hospitalization and death are always lagging indicators, I would imagine it will take at least another couple of weeks before we have a good handle and then a really good handle a few weeks thereafter," Fauci said. "So, I would say we shouldn't be making any definitive conclusions, certainly not before the next couple of weeks."

France has seen one of its highest ever daily totals of new Covid-19 cases, figures from the national health agency show. 

The country recorded 59,019 new cases Tuesday, topping off a week of mounting cases as France battles the fifth wave of the coronavirus, according to figures from Public Health France.

French Health ministry data shows an ongoing gradual increase in Intensive Care Unit hospitalizations due to Covid-19.

The French prime minister and health minister announced limited new restrictions Monday, including a four-week-long closure of nightclubs and a mandate on masks in primary schools.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved France to its list of "very high" risk travel destinations on Monday.

In Michigan, more people are hospitalized with Covid-19 now than at any other point during the pandemic, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services. 

There are currently 4,638 Covid-19 patients in Michigan hospitals, about a quarter of whom are in an intensive care unit, HHS data shows.

Covid-19 hospitalizations haven’t been this high in Michigan for about a year, since the end of November 2020. But recent hospitalizations first surpassed last year’s record about a week ago and have continued to rise since. 

Covid-19 case rates in Michigan also reached a record high last week, and the per capita case rate remains higher than in any other state, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The state reported 602 new cases per 100,000 people over the past week, nearly three times the US rate of 220 cases per 100,000 people. 

The Midwest remains a Covid-19 hotspot, and Minnesota is not far behind Michigan in terms of new cases per capita, according to JHU data. Hospitalizations in Minnesota are just 13% below the peak from a year ago, according to HHS data. 

Covid-19 hospitalizations in Maine are also at record highs, with the latest surge far surpassing earlier waves. 

The White House continued to defend ongoing travel restrictions imposed on eight African countries due to concerns over the Omicron variant, which has now been detected across the globe and in the US. 

White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients acknowledged “difficulty” imposed by the restrictions, particularly during the holiday travel season, calling it a “reasonable measure” that was being evaluated daily.

The restrictions, which went into effect last week, have been described by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as “travel apartheid.”

The restrictions, Zients said in response to a question from CNN, “were taken out of an abundance of caution to help slow the spread and give us the time to prepare and… evaluate the Omicron variant.”

“We are continuing to see, as Dr. Fauci presented, thousands of cases every day in southern Africa," Zients added. "There are lots of unknowns about the transmissibility, the severity, the vaccine impact of Omicron, and we will learn more about the variant as Dr. Fauci just described, as [US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director] Dr. Walensky described, over the coming days and weeks." 

“I would say we shouldn't be making any definitive conclusions, certainly not before the next couple of weeks,” Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser, said of Omicron severity. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has joined investigations into the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant at the recent Anime NYC 2021 convention, assisting with contact tracing among the tens of thousands of convention attendees, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a virtual White House briefing Tuesday.

The Minnesota Department of Health announced last week that it had identified the nation's second Covid-19 case caused by the Omicron variant in a resident who recently traveled to New York City and attended the Anime NYC 2021 convention from Nov. 19-21.

"CDC is assisting both the Minnesota and New York City Health Departments with the investigation among attendees at a recent Anime New York City Convention and has now contacted all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, DC, and 27 other countries with residents who attended to inform them of this ongoing investigation," Walensky said Tuesday. "Of the reported 53,000 people who attended that conference, more than 35,000 and counting have been contacted to encourage testing for all attendees."

National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said the US is not in a "good place" right now, encouraging Americans to get Covid-19 vaccines and booster shots.

Collins said we are still in a "public health emergency." While he said he would rather there not be vaccine mandates like the one recently announced in New York City, they may be necessary to curb the virus.

"We know these vaccines are safe and effective. If we have a chance to drive this Delta variant away by getting more of our population immunized, then that's what we have to do. I wish we didn't have to use mandates, but if that's what it takes, then maybe that's what it takes," Collins said.

The NIH has been trying to ramp up the number of types of at-home Covid tests, he said, and there is a pilot program to order a test on Amazon for next-day delivery.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Tuesday that if a new vaccine is needed for the Omicron coronavirus variant, the company will have one in March, and the company is confident its investigational antiviral pill will be effective against the variant. 

It still needs to be seen if the current vaccine provides an umbrella of protection that is solid enough, he said, adding that it is preferable and less complicated to keep the same vaccine. 

Asked about Paxlovid, Pfizer’s oral antiviral treatment, Bourla said “we have very, very high level of confidence that will fight this variant and all the ones that we have seen so far.” 

Most mutations happen in the spike protein and the antiviral, which is a protease inhibitor, does not work in the spike protein, he said. 

“We know that those mutations, they don’t affect that at all,” he said. “So, we have very, very high level of confidence with the current variants, the treatment that we have should work at the same level.” 

The United States has shipped more than 300 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine across the globe as of Tuesday morning.

There are expected to be around 302 million doses shipped by the Covid-19 response team's briefing at 12:30 p.m. ET.

That is more vaccine doses shipped abroad than all countries combined, according to a White House official. 

Since President Biden announced administration efforts to boost vaccine manufacturing to increase the global supply in November, the official said, 19 million doses have shipped.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday morning that the vaccine mandate he announced for private sector employees is a “preemptive strike” against the possibility of potential future lockdowns due to Covid-19.

The mayor said city officials talked to business leaders “for months” about the Delta variant and said business owners wanted to avoid having to go back to a shutdown. While the mayor did not say exactly who will enforce the mandate, de Blasio reiterated that the city health department plans to work with the business sector to come out with specific protocols for the mandate by Dec. 15.

Regarding tourists coming to New York City, de Blasio said the city is happy to provide vaccinations to anyone traveling to New York City who does not meet the city’s vaccine requirements for restaurants and other indoor establishments. 

De Blasio also said he has had “great conversations” with Mayor-elect Eric Adams and believes that he will listen to health officials about the need for vaccine mandates when he assumes office.

“What he [Adams] always says is he's going to listen to the health leadership. Our health leadership said it is time for this,” de Blasio said.