This is what the U.S. needs to do next.
 | By Alexandra Sifferlin Senior Staff Editor, Opinion |
While the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus has been a cause of anxiety and uncertainty, the South African scientists who uncovered it gave the world a gift: an early warning. Because the variant — now officially called Omicron — was caught relatively early, it means there's time to do the research to untangle pressing questions and formulate policy in response. |
"So let's get our act together now," writes the columnist Zeynep Tufekci. "Omicron, which early indicators suggest could be more transmissible than even Delta and more likely to cause breakthrough infections, may arrive in the United States soon if it's not here already." |
We have yet to understand the variant's potential impact, but there's a lot countries like the United States can do in the meantime. "A dynamic response requires tough containment measures to be modified quickly as evidence comes in, as well as rapid data collection to understand the scope of the threat," Tufekci argues. "Vaccine manufacturers should also immediately begin developing vaccines specifically for Omicron." |
At this point of the pandemic, people are likely used to living amid uncertainty. That doesn't make it any easier or less exhausting. But as Dr. Ashish Jha wrote in a guest essay for Times Opinion, now isn't the time to give in to fear or indifference. "It has been a long pandemic thus far, but let's remember that this is not a reset to March of last year — the world has the means to manage this variant," he writes. |
We have the tools to control the pandemic. They need to be distributed equitably and embraced widely. |
"Unlike in the terrible days of early last year, we have an early warning, vaccines, effective drugs, greater understanding of the disease and many painful lessons," writes Tufecki. "It's time to demonstrate that we learned them." |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
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