U.S. to toughen testing for travelers as omicron threat looms
U.S. officials under the Biden administration are poised to toughen testing requirements for international travelers to the United States, including both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, amid the spread of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The CDC said in a statement that it was working toward requiring that all air travelers to the U.S. be tested for COVID-19 within a day before boarding their flight. Under the current rules, travelers who are fully vaccinated may present a test taken within three days of boarding.
"CDC is evaluating how to make international travel as safe as possible, including pre-departure testing closer to the time of flight and considerations around additional post-arrival testing and self-quarantines," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said earlier Tuesday.
Laboratory test results and real-world surveillance to determine whether the omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is more resistant to current antibody treatments and vaccines could take weeks. But researchers are concerned about changes to the spike protein, which Dr. Anthony Fauci calls "the business end of the virus."
"And these mutations have been associated with increased transmissibility, and immune evasion," Fauci said.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in an interview with CNBC that could pose a challenge to existing vaccines.
But vaccine developers and federal health officials believe full vaccination plus a booster shot will still lower the chances of severe disease.
Whether omicron causes more severe disease or less severe disease than previous variants based on early cases in South Africa remains unclear.
"Early indications, maybe it's milder. But that was mostly looking at young people," Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the NIH, said. "So I'd be hesitant to call it right now, but that is a critical question. We should have more answers soon."
An FDA advisory committee voted 13 to 10 to recommend the authorization of Merck's experimental antiviral medication Molnupiravir for use in non-pregnant adults. If the FDA grants an emergency use authorization, Molnupiravir would become the first oral medication to treat COVID-19 — and the first that patients could take at home.
With The Associated Press and Fox News.