Category: Covid-19

The infected person was identified as a traveler who had returned from South Africa on Nov. 22, developed mild symptoms and tested positive Monday. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco obtained a sample from the patient Tuesday evening and worked feverishly overnight to assemble the genetic sequence.

The person, who had had the two doses of the Moderna shot but had not been vaccinated long enough to receive a booster shot, is improving and agreed to remain in quarantine, California officials said.

All the individuals close contacts have been reached and have tested negative, officials said. The patient was identified only as being between 18 and 49.

At least 23 other countries have reported omicron infections since South African authorities first identified the variant a week ago an announcement that led the U.S. and many other countries to almost immediately bar airline travelers arriving from southern Africa.

But the variant is still surrounded by many unknowns, among them: Is it more contagious than other versions, as some scientists are beginning to suspect? Does it make people more seriously ill? And can it evade the vaccine?

Any declaration of what will or will not happen with this variant, I think it is too early to say, Fauci said.

He and other medical experts strongly emphasized that Americans should continue to follow public health advice to get vaccinated and get their booster shots.

If you look at the things we have been recommending, theyre just the same, Fauci said.

Genomic sequencing on the patients virus from UCSF was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We will likely see this scenario play out multiple times across the country in the coming days or weeks, said Scott Becker, CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

This particular case shows the system working as it was designed to work an individual with travel history from South Africa, an astute laboratory and quick prioritization of the specimen for sequencing, and close coordination with public health officials.

Nigeria and Saudi Arabia also reported omicron infections Wednesday, marking the first known cases in West Africa and the Persian Gulf region.

It is not known precisely where or when the variant first emerged, though it is clear it was circulating in Europe several days before South Africa sounded the alarm.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it will take two to three weeks before it becomes fully clear what omicron can do to the world.

This is, in normal times, a short period. In pandemic times, its an eternity, she lamented.

At the same time the omicron variant is spreading new fear and uncertainty, the dominant delta variant is still creating havoc, especially in Europe, where many countries are dealing with a surge in infections and hospitalizations and some are considering making vaccinations mandatory.

Going further than many other countries in trying to contain the virus, Japan has banned foreign visitors and asked international airlines to stop taking new reservations for all flights arriving in the country until the end of December.

The U.S. is working toward requiring that all air travelers to the country be tested for COVID-19 within a day before boarding their flights, up from the current three days.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization warned that blanket travel bans are complicating the sharing of lab samples from South Africa that could help scientists understand the new variant.

World leaders continued to emphasize that the best way to contain the pandemic remains vaccinations.

For the first time, von der Leyen said EU nations should consider making vaccinations mandatory, as several have done for certain sectors, or as Austria has done overall. Altogether, 67% of the EUs population is vaccinated, but that relatively high rate hasnt stopped several countries from seeing surges.

Greece plans to impose fines of 100 euros ($113) per month on people over 60 who dont get vaccinated. Slovakia is considering giving that age group 500 euros ($565) if they step forward for the shot. German Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz, meanwhile, said he will back a proposal to mandate vaccinations for everybody.

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This story was corrected to show Nigeria now says it found the omicron variant in samples from November, not October.

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AP writer Michael Balsamo and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.

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US identifies first case of Omicron COVID-19 variant in traveler who returned to California - The Boston Globe

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Its a roadmap to recovery of sorts and the first-of-its-kind in the nation. Nashville is said to be the first U.S city to conduct an in-depth report on its coronavirus response.

News 2, reviewed that report Wednesday, which highlights what the city learned and how Nashville can better prepare for a pandemic in the future.

One of the biggest lessons throughout the pandemic, Dr. Alex Jahangir, Chair of Nashville COVID-19 Taskforce said, is that public health is not a political hot potato.

Its easy to point out whats wrong. Its easy to point out whats right, but what you can do moving forward is the hard part, said Kristi Mitchell, CEO & Founder of Health Equity Outcomes and Consultant for Avalere Health.

The nearly 60-page report, Strategies for Future Preparedness: Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on Nashville, outlines both the good and the bad, with short, medium and long-term recommendations for Metro government, hospitals, businesses and community leaders.

The main recommendations are as follows:

I think at this point, COVID as we know it is going to be with us for a while, Dr. Jahangir said. Lets use the lessons were learning to continue to improve how were moving forward.

After months of interviews and extensive research, Avalere Health found that Nashville has chronic inadequate funding, a workforce shortage and outdated infrastructure that has limited our public health sectors response.

Mitchell said Nashville needs to invest more in public health infrastructure, crisis readiness, data sharing and its collection.

She added the lack of sufficient resources and staffing to effectively support the demand for contact tracing, testing and other public health capabilities placed a significant burden on vulnerable populations, which the report shows were disproportionally impacted both physically and economically.

Research also uncovered that small business owners had challenges accessing and applying for certain loans.

Its going to come down to funding from state federal and local level and it comes down to really investing in leadership and workforce. You cant move a vehicle if you dont have an engine, Mitchell said.

As we continue to maneuver COVID-19, leaders hope the data-driven roadmap of pandemic dos and donts helps us in a future health crisis.

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New data-driven report examines the impact of COVID-19 in Nashville - WKRN News 2

The researchers note that the gum looks and feels like the type of gum found in convivence stores and can be stored at normal temperatures for years without damaging the ACE2 protein molecules that trap the SARS-coV-2 particles.

Malte Mueller/Getty Images

Previous evidence has shown that people infected with Covid-19 have high levels of the virus in theirsaliva.Now, researchershave developed an experimental chewing gum that traps SARS-CoV-2 viral particles, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. The gum may help lower viral transmission when infected individuals breathe, talk, or cough, reports Nancy Lapid forReuters.Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania published details of the study this month in the research journalMolecular Therapy.

The experimental gum traps viral particles through copies of a receptor called the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)receptors riddled along its surface. Like a key inserted into a locked door, SARS-Cov-2 enters human cells by latching onto ACE2 receptors. ACE2 proteins are found lining the surfaces of some cells and epithelial tissues in the body, such as the lungs, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, liver, and gastrointestinal tract.

Scientists designed the gum with plant-derived ACE2 proteins with the novel idea that viral particles will latch onto the gum, minimizing the ability for the virus to spread from ones mouth to others, reports Grace C. Roberts for theConversation.

To test the gums effectiveness in trapping the virus, researchers collected saliva samples from Covid-19 patients and mixed them with a powdered form of the gum. When looking at the samples, the team found that the gum laced with ACE2 proteins had soaked up viral particles from the infected saliva, whereas normal chewing gum did not have the same effect. In total, the viral load in infected samples was lowered by 95 percent when mixed with 50 milligrams of the powdered gum, Reuters reports.

The researchers note that the gum looks and feels like the type of gum found in convivence stores and can be stored at normal temperatures for years without damaging the ACE2 protein molecules.

However, the gum is still in early-stage research and has not been tested in humans or in real-worldscenarios. The results are from experiments conducted in lab-controlled conditions using a machine that simulated chewing, Roberts notes in theConversation. While the chewing gum laced with the proteins traps more viral particles, the experiment does not answer questions likehow body temperature or oral bacteria impact the effectiveness of the gumor how long will the gums ability to trap viral particles lasts, per theConversation.

Although the gum reduced the virus transmission ability in infected saliva, it is still unknown how the gum will be helpful in those who are not infected since the virus can still be transmitted through droplets from the nose and eyes.

Overall, the gum could theoretically be effective against other variants of Covid-19 since all forms of SARS-CoV-2 enterthe body by latching onto ACE2 proteins regardless of mutations. However, real-world applications still need to be completedto confirm this. If found to be an effective tool, the gum could be another prevention tactic to add to the current toolkit of public health measures against the virus like masks, social distancing, and vaccination. The chewing gum could also be usefulin countries where vaccines are sparselyavailable or unaffordable, per Reuters.

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Could This Chewing Gum Reduce the Spread of Covid-19? - Smithsonian

Friday, Sept. 25 -- Day before first positive test

President Trump awoke in Florida and zig-zagged along the East Coast for a variety of events. He held a Latinos for Trump rally in Doral, Florida; an official event in Atlanta; a fundraiser in Washington; and a rally in Virginia.

Saturday, Sept. 26 -- Day of first positive test, per Meadows

Later, Trump attended a rally in Pennsylvania.

According to Meadows, Trump tested positive before traveling to the rally in Pennsylvania and then subsequently testing negative.

Sunday, Sept. 27 -- Golf, debate prep, press conference

Two days ahead of the first presidential debate, Trump spent at least some of Sunday in prep sessions with his team. He also visited his golf course and convened a press conference before holding a reception for Gold Star families at the White House.

Monday, Sept. 28 -- At the White House

The President spent Monday at the White House, partly in preparation for the next day's debate. He held events outdoors at the White House, one on trade and one on a new Covid-19 testing strategy.

Tuesday, Sept. 29 -- Debate day

Trump remained out of sight at the White House until departing for the first presidential debate in Cleveland.

Wednesday, Sept. 30 -- Visit to Minnesota

The President and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met in the Oval Office Wednesday morning. Later, Trump traveled to Minnesota for a fundraiser and campaign rally. On the way home, officials said Hope Hicks, one of Trump's closest aides, began displaying symptoms and isolated in a separate cabin.

Thursday, Oct. 1 -- Fundraisers and testing

Officials at the White House were aware that Hicks had tested positive for Covid-19, though it's not clear exactly when her results came back. Still, Trump went ahead with his schedule, including a fundraiser in New Jersey.

"He's tested regularly and the first positive test he received was after his return from Bedminster," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters.

Friday, Oct 2 -- Walter Reed

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Here's what Trump was up to around the time of his positive Covid-19 test - CNN

A doctor tends to a patient in the covid-19 intensive care unit at University Hospital Leipzig on November 18, 2021 in Leipzig, Germany.Photo: Jens Schlueter (Getty Images)

New research this week finds that people who are hospitalized with severe covid-19 but survive often pay a heavy price afterward. The study concluded that these survivors were more than twice as likely to die in the subsequent 12 months compared to people who had tested negative for the virus. This relatively increased risk of death was even higher for people under the age 65.

While there remains much research to be done, studies thus far have made it clear that many covid-19 survivors can experience lingering symptoms even after the infection itself has cleared up. And those who are hospitalized are all the more vulnerable to these aftereffects. Severe covid often seriously damages the lungs and other organs, while life-saving interventions like steroids, ventilators, and life support devices like ECMO can take a toll on the body as well.

Researchers from the University of Florida had already published a study in July showing that hospitalized survivors were significantly more likely to be hospitalized again within six months, compared to those with mild to moderate covid-19. This new study of theirs, based on an examination of anonymous electronic health records, instead looked at the long-term mortality risk of patients up to a year later.

Nearly 14,000 patients in the same health care system were studied. These included 178 diagnosed with severe COVID-19 and 246 diagnosed with mild to moderate covid-19, as well as many others who tested negative for the virus but may have been sick for other reasons and received medical care in some way. Compared to covid-negative patients, and even after accounting for other factors like age and sex, those with severe covid were 2.5 times more likely to die in the next 12 months after their illness. Overall, just over 52% of severe covid patients died in a years time. There was no significant increased risk of mortality for mild to moderate cases, however.

This study provides evidence that the increased risk of death from covid-19 is not limited to the initial episode of covid-19, but a severe episode of covid-19 carries with it a substantially increased risk of death in the following 12 months, the authors wrote in their study, published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Medicine.

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About 20% of the deaths among these patients post-infection were attributed to problems with either the respiratory or cardiovascular system, the authors noted, the areas of the body that tend to be affected directly by infection from the coronavirus. But its well known that the symptoms of severe covid are often the result of an overzealous immune response, one that can wreak havoc all throughout the body. And its this potential for widespread damage that is likely to blame for the majority of added deaths seen in these survivors.

Since these deaths were not for a direct covid-19 cause of death among these patients who have recovered from the initial episode of covid-19, this data suggests that the biological insult from covid-19 and physiological stress from covid-19 is significant, they wrote.

Older people are more likely to develop severe illness and die from covid-19. But among patients in this study, the associated risk of dying was actually relatively greater for survivors of severe covid under age 65 than it was for patients over 65. Compared to similarly aged but non-infected people, they were more than three times more likely to die in the months after their hospitalization.

The results are yet another reminder that the harms of the pandemic run deeper than any official death toll can illustrate. As many as 7.5 million Americans have been hospitalized by covid-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated. Given the risks that hospitalized survivors will face even after their initial ordeal, the authors say its clear that prevention of significant covid-19 infection is the most effective way to decrease the risk of death following covid-19.

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Many Severe Covid-19 Survivors Go on to Die Within a Year, Study Finds - Gizmodo

UFC president Dana White and his entire family tested positive for COVID-19 after a Thanksgiving gathering in Maine, the 52-year-old said Wednesday on the "The Jim Rome Podcast." Joe Rogan, a UFC television announcer and podcaster who's been accused of spreading COVID-19 misinformation, consulted White after he contracted the virus.

White, who says he's fully vaccinated, is feeling "like a million bucks" since taking a monoclonal antibody treatment along with a NAD drip, vitamin drip and ivermectin. Rogan has publicly supported the use of Ivermectin, a deworming veterinary drug formulated for cows and horses, to treat COVID-19.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers also consulted Rogan after contracting COVID-19, and he too took Ivermectin. The unvaccinated passer missed the Packers' Nov. 7 game against the Kansas City Chiefs but returned to play the following week.

White first felt symptoms in his steam room on Sunday and tested positive a day later. He received his sense of smell and taste back in less than 24 hours and is now undergoing a 10-day self-isolation period.

"You're supposed to stay home and stay away from other people for 10 days," White said. "That's what I'm doing I'm going to keep testing every two days until I'm negative and then I'm going to get back to work ASAP."

The next UFC event is Saturday in Las Vegas and features a main event of Jose Aldo and Rob Font battling for the bantamweight title. White said if he will "absolutely, positively" be there if he tests negative for COVID-19 beforehand.

"I'm going to do the exact protocol that's supposed to be done and make sure that I'm clean and can go around and be around people again," White said. "As soon as that's 100% clear, then I'll be back to work.""

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UFC president Dana White tests positive for COVID-19 after Thanksgiving gathering, consults Joe Rogan - CBSSports.com

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls guard Coby White tested positive for COVID-19, coach Billy Donovan announced after practice Wednesday afternoon.

White will enter the NBA's health and safety protocols and will not travel with the team to New York this week for games against the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. White is the second Bulls player to contract the coronavirus recently, following center Nikola Vucevic, who missed seven games last month while in the league's health and safety protocols.

All Bulls players have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, an achievement the team reached at the start of November. Booster shots have been made available to players, but the team has left that decision up to individual preference, according to Donovan.

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However, after Vucevic's positive test last month, the Bulls started testing players regularly, and the league mandated testing for teams following Thanksgiving.

So, the Bulls are hopeful to avoid a widespread team outbreak.

"We're just trying to follow all the guidelines," Bulls guard Alex Caruso said after practice Wednesday. "Wear a mask. Try to stay out of crowded areas, do all the things we can to try and stay healthy and stay ready for games."

Guard Zach LaVine is also dealing with an illness that still appears to be non-COVID-19-related. He has continued to test negative for the virus. LaVine was listed as questionable before ultimately playing in Monday's game against the Charlotte Hornets but did not practice on Wednesday, because the Bulls wanted to give him time to recuperate.

Players who test positive for COVID-19 are required to be away from their teams for at least 10 days.

White's third season in the NBA has already been limited to just nine games, after he missed the start of the year while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He had been averaging 6.1 points on 34.9% shooting since returning to the lineup.

White joins a growing list of players who have entered the NBA's health and safety protocols recently, including L.A. Lakers star LeBron James and Nuggets guards Austin Rivers and Bones Hyland. "You just don't know what's going to happen with some of these guys testing positive," Donovan said. "I feel bad for Coby just because he's coming off the shoulder injury. He's trying to find his way back and now he's got another period of time where he's not going to be able to do anything physically until the league clears him to go through cardiac testing, however long that takes.

"But yeah, it's going around right now. Not only has COVID been a challenge; you're also dealing with a lot of players who have the flu, who are sick. It's still obviously very much real."

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Guard Coby White becomes second fully vaccinated Chicago Bulls player to test positive for COVID-19 - ESPN

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) There were 936 new total COVID-19 cases reported on Wednesday, bringing the states total case count to 167,144, up from Tuesday (166,208).

The number of active cases reported on Wednesday is at 7,222, up from Tuesday (6,778).

There were 15 new deaths reported, bringing the total to 2,349.

Current hospitalizations are at 249, up from Tuesday (243). Total hospitalizations are at 8,468, up from Tuesday (8,446).

Total recovered cases are now at 157,573, up from Tuesday (157,096).

CLICK HERE TO VIEW latest COVID-19 case numbers for South Dakota

The DOH currently reports total tests each day. There have been 1,716,630 total tests reported as of Wednesday, up 8,280 from 1,708,350 total tests reported on Tuesday.

The latest seven-day PCR test positivity rate for the state is 16.1% for Nov. 23 29.

Of South Dakotas 66 counties, 60 are listed as having high or substantial community spread. High community spread is 100 cases or greater per 100,000 or a 10% or greater PCR test positivity rate.

There have been 1,082 Delta variant cases (B.1.617.2, AY.1-AY.25) detected in South Dakota through sentinel monitoring.

There have been 176 cases of the B.1.1.7 (Alpha variant), 3 cases of P.1. (Gamma variant) and 2 cases of the B.1.351 (Beta variant).

The DOH announced changes to how it reports vaccinations on the COVID-19 dashboard as of Monday, October 14. It now includes a breakout of how many people have received booster doses. Due to data clean-up efforts, the percentages of people whove received one dose or completed the series have changed. Findthe DOH explanation in this story.

On Wednesday, November 24, the South Dakota Department of Health updated how it reports the percent of the population getting vaccinated. To align with the vaccine-eligible population, the Department of Health is including children who are 5-11 years old. The state says there was a decrease of 7% from the 12+ year old population.

As of Wednesday, 64.33% the population 5-years-old and above has received at least one dose while 53.57% have completed the vaccination series. 15.1% of those eligible have completed their booster dose.

There have been 563,335 doses of the Pfizer vaccine administered, 404,887 of the Moderna vaccine and 33,642 doses of the Janssen vaccine.

There have been 167,179 persons who have completed two doses of Moderna. There have been 230,495 persons who have received two doses of Pfizer.

As for booster doses, 68,195 people have received a 3rd Pfizer shot, 50,513 have received a 3rd Moderna dose and 1,336 have received a Janssen booster.

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COVID-19 in South Dakota: 936 total new cases; Death toll rises to 2,349; Active cases at 7,222 - KELOLAND.com

Geisinger was caring for 291 COVID-19 patients at its nine hospitals on Wednesday, nearly 40 more than a week ago.

Last year we thought things were bad, and were about two weeks ahead of the trend we had last year, said Dr. Gerald Maloney, chief medical officer for the Montour County-based system.

Last years surge, which began after Thanksgiving and continued into January, severely strained hospitals and staffs throughout Pennsylvania.

Penn State Health and WellSpan Health also reported substantial increases in COVID-19 patients on Wednesday. Penn State Health was caring for 156 COVID-19 patients at its four hospitals, 21 more than at the beginning of the week.

WellSpan was caring for about 300, well over half the level of its previous peak.

Spokesman Ryan Coyle said WellSpan has made assorted changes including delaying some non-emergency care to manage the volume and severity of this situation.

Geisingers Maloney said its too soon to know if the newest patients became infected at Thanksgiving gatherings.

Its possible staff shortages would make it harder for hospitals to handle a repeat of last years surge. At a state House committee hearing on Wednesday, a Penn State Health official said the system has a deficit of more than 400 nurses, WGAL reported.

The state health department on Wednesday reported 7,606 new COVID-19 infections, the highest one-day count since January.

The number hospitalized, 3,939 is also the highest in nearly a year. Hospitalizations peaked in Pennsylvania at about 6,100 late last year.

Maloney noted the volume of non-COVID-19 patients was down a year ago for reasons including people putting off care. Now things are much closer to normal, meaning fewer staffers can be shifted toward caring for COVID-19 patients.

From a capacity standpoint, were very concerned, he said. We have a very tight [intensive care unit] situation. And car accidents keep occurring. Heart attacks and strokes keep occurring, all the things people need the ICU for, and none of that has stopped.

Maloney said the impact of COVID-19 patients on care available to other patients is something unvaccinated people should think about and which hopefully will sway them toward getting vaccinated.

He said 88% of COVID-19 patients at Geisinger are unvaccinated. WellSpan cited the same percentage, and added that 92% of its ICU patients are unvaccinated.

Penn State Health also posted updated numbers Wednesday showing a strong majority of its COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated.

For example, at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Dauphin County, 49 adults and 4 pediatric COVID-19 patients were less than fully vaccinated, including 19 intensive care patients and 12 on breathing ventilators. That compared to 16 fully vaccinated patients, with four in intensive care and one on a ventilator.

Maloney and others on Wednesday pleaded with people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Since cases began surging in Pennsylvania again in early July due to the more contagious delta variant, many doctors have predicted rising numbers of vaccinated people, combined with others who have some immunity due to being infected, will prevent a repeat of last winters surge.

But Maloney on Wednesday said he fears theyre not being realistic based on what were seeing in real-time.

He stressed that with about 69% of Pennsylvania adults fully vaccinated, there are still lots of unvaccinated people vulnerable to becoming ill with COVID-19.

He further worries lapses in face masking wearing and social distancing are helping to fuel the latest surge.

If I went into Walmart last Dec. 1, everyone was wearing a mask. If I went into Walmart on my way home from work tonight, theres a darn good chance that, except for workers, Im going to be the only customer wearing a mask, Maloney said.

He said that cancels out a lot of the benefits of having so many people vaccinated.

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Some central Pa. hospitals surpassing pace of worst COVID-19 surge - pennlive.com

The Biden administration is preparing to implement new travel guidelines that would require proof of a negative COVID-19 test within one day of flying into the U.S., including for vaccinated people, a spokesperson from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed.

The expected change comes as the country beefs up surveillance for the omicron variant, the first case of which in the U.S. has been identified in California, the California and San Francisco Departments of Public Health said Wednesday. The CDC said the person traveled from South Africa on Nov. 22.

Omicron has been deemed a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization and had been detected in over 20 countries as of Tuesday.

"CDC is working to modify the current global testing order for travel as we learn more about the omicron variant; a revised order would shorten the timeline for required testing for all international air travelers to one day before departure to the United States," CDC spokesperson Kristen Nordlund said Tuesday night. "This strengthens already robust protocols in place for international travel, including requirements for foreign travelers to be fully vaccinated."

Under the current guidelines, people from other countries who are not fully vaccinated cannot travel to the U.S., while people who are fully vaccinated can as long as they provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within three days of traveling. For unvaccinated Americans, the guidelines already required proof of a negative test within one day of traveling. The potential new rule would expand that one-day requirement to all vaccinated travelers coming into the U.S. from other countries.

For post-travel recommendations, the CDC also suggests vaccinated travelers get tested three to five days after arriving in the U.S. and that unvaccinated travelers stay home to self-quarantine for a full seven days, even if they test negative during that timeframe.

Earlier on Tuesday, the White House confirmed it was considering updates around testing requirements and said policy discussions were ongoing across the government as more is learned about the omicron variant.

Rochelle Walensky appears during a hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., Nov. 4, 2021.

More updates on the country's response to the variant are expected Thursday.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky outlined some of the expected changes at the White House COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday morning. She said the CDC is analyzing 80,000 COVID-positive tests per week -- or about one in seven tests -- looking for the omicron variant. The delta variant continues to account for 99.9% of all tests analyzed, Walensky said.

Asked if she was confident in the CDC's surveillance system given how many other countries had detected the variant before the U.S., Walensky said the system is "robust."

The director also said the CDC is working on expanding a surveillance program in the nation's four busiest international airports, John F. Kennedy International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which would allow for more COVID-19 tests on international arrivals -- though there was no indication that testing would be mandatory for arriving travelers or which arriving planes would be offered the tests.

In the meantime, experts are calling on all Americans to get vaccinated if they haven't yet and to get boosted if they're over 18 and were fully vaccinated over six months ago. Of those eligible for a booster, 100 million Americans haven't gotten one yet, the White House said on Tuesday, while just about 20% of fully vaccinated Americans have, the CDC's vaccine data shows.

Though the data on how transmissible and severe the omicron variant is will not be available for a few more weeks, as scientists around the globe work to gather it, experts believe it's unlikely it will completely chip away at the protection from vaccines and boosters, particularly when it comes to hospitalization and death.

"Remember, as with other variants, although partial immune escape may occur, vaccines and particularly boosters give a level of antibody that even with variants like delta, give you a degree of protection, particularly against severe disease," Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the White House, said on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Pfizer BioNTech asked the Food and Drug Administration to consider expanding the booster recommendation to include 16- and 17-year-olds. The agency is expected to review the request in the coming weeks.

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Amid spread of omicron variant, CDC expected to require negative COVID-19 test 1 day before flying to US - ABC News