随着新冠肺炎奥米克隆变异病毒在世界范围内掀起冲击波，乔·拜登总统在他的第一次正式讲话中向全国发表了讲话围绕着新的变体周一，新的赴美旅行限制开始生效。
“首先，这种变体令人担忧，而不是引起恐慌，”拜登在白宫表示，敦促美国人保持冷静。“我们有世界上最好的疫苗。最好的药物，最好的科学家，我们每天都在学习更多。我们将用科学和知识丰富的行动和速度来对抗这种变异。不是混乱和混乱。”
他补充说，“看，我们也要战斗并击败这个新变种。”
曼德尔·恩根/法新社通过盖蒂图像
美国总统乔·拜登发表讲话，介绍了20世纪80年代奥米克隆变种的最新情况...
总统星期五宣布，从本周开始，美国将限制来自南非、博茨瓦纳、津巴布韦、纳米比亚、莱索托、埃斯瓦蒂尼、莫桑比克和马拉维的旅客。专家预测，首次在南部非洲发现的变异病毒在美国传播只是时间问题，拜登承认了这一点。
“虽然我们已经说过旅行限制可以减缓omicron的速度，但它无法阻止它。这就是它的作用:它给了我们时间，”拜登说。“这给了我们采取更多行动的时间。为了更快地行动，确保人们明白你必须接种疫苗。你必须得到机会。你必须得到助推器。”
奥米克龙变种上周首次在博茨瓦纳被发现，此后在包括南非、德国、比利时、日本和加拿大在内的几个国家确诊了病例。世界卫生组织(世卫组织)周五将这种变体列为关注对象之一，拜登现在已经从他的团队那里收到了至少四份关于奥米克隆的简报。
曼德尔·恩根/法新社通过盖蒂图像
乔·拜登总统听取了安东尼·福奇博士关于.
尽管总统赞扬了南非卫生官员在报告变异病毒方面的透明度和快速行动，但他为自己对八个南部非洲国家实施旅行限制的决定进行了辩护，并驳斥了旅行禁令将阻止各国报告新病例的想法。
“值得称赞的是，南非科学界很快向世界通报了这一新变种的出现。这种透明度应该受到鼓励和赞扬，因为它提高了我们对任何新威胁做出快速反应的能力。“在某个时候，美国出现这种压力几乎是不可避免的。”
拜登表示，他预计不会“关闭或封锁”，但希望在未来几个月增加疫苗接种和测试，此前他在9月份发布了一项“六管齐下的战略”来对抗三角洲变种。
“我将提出一个详细的战略，概述我们将如何在今年冬天与COVID作战。不是通过关闭和封锁，而是通过广泛的疫苗接种、加强剂、测试等等，”拜登说。
周一早上，在接受美国广播公司“早安美国”采访时，美国顶级传染病专家安东尼·福奇博士和拜登一起发表了白宫讲话，他认为奥米克隆给了美国人更多的理由去打新冠肺炎加强针，或者在他们还没有接种疫苗的情况下打预防针。
福奇说:“我们只需要确保我们知道我们有对付病毒的工具。
根据白宫对会议的解读，福奇在周日的一次会议上告诉拜登，可能需要两周时间才能更好地了解奥米克隆的传染性和严重性。福奇在美国广播公司的“本周”节目中说，还需要时间来确定目前的新冠肺炎疫苗是否对新变种有效。
福奇在“早安美国”节目中说:“制药公司正准备为此制造一种特殊的助推器，但我们可能不需要它。”
拜登周一表示，如果奥米克隆变体引发了对新疫苗的需求，白宫正与辉瑞、Moderna和强生的官员合作，制定应急计划。但是到目前为止，他并不认为有必要采取额外的行动来对抗奥米克隆。
总统还抓住机会要求美国人在公共场合室内时戴上口罩，尽管许多地方已经让他们的口罩授权到期。
“如果你和你的家人都接种了疫苗，你就可以更安全地庆祝节日，”他说。
由于供应链和通胀担忧，拜登下午还将会见不同业务部门的首席执行官。此前，他曾在日程中就经济问题发表公开言论，但白宫表示，这些言论将转移到周三。
总统继续面临低民调数字和越来越大的政治压力，进入假日季节，从持续的疫情到供应链困境和消费者价格上涨，几个危机汇聚在一起。
Biden addresses nation on omicron variant as some travel bans to US take effect
With the COVID-19 omicron variant sending shockwaves around the world, President Joe Biden addressed the nation in his first formal remarkssurrounding the new varianton Monday as new travel restrictions to the U.S. took effect.
"First, this variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic," Biden said from the White House, urging Americans to remain calm. "We have the best vaccine in the world. The best medicines, the best scientists, and we're learning more every single day. And we'll fight this variant with scientific and knowledgeable actions and speed. Not chaos and confusion."
He added, "Look, we're going to fight and beat this new variant as well."
The president announced Friday that starting this week, the U.S. will restrict travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi. Experts predict it's only a matter of time before the variant first detected in southern Africa is circulating in the U.S., a point Biden acknowledged.
"While we have said that travel restrictions can slow the speed of omicron, it cannot prevent it. Here's what it does: it gives us time," Biden said. "It gives us time to take more actions. To move quicker, to make sure people understand you have to get the vaccine. You have to get the shot. You have to get the booster."
The omicron variant was first detected last week in Botswana and cases have since been confirmed in several countries including South Africa, Germany, Belgium, Japan and Canada. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified the variant as one of concern on Friday, and Biden has now received at least four briefings from his team on omicron.
While the president praised health officials in South Africa for their transparency in reporting the variant and acting quickly, he defended his own decision to institute travel restrictions for eight southern African countries and dismissed the idea that the travel ban will deter nations from reporting new cases.
"To their credit, the scientific community in South Africa quickly notified the world of the emergence of this new variant. This kind of transparency is to be encouraged and applauded because it increases our ability to respond quickly to any new threats," he said. "It is almost inevitable, at some point, that the strain is here in the United States."
Biden said he does not anticipate "shutdowns or lockdowns" but wants to ramp up vaccinations and testing in the coming months, following his release of a "six-pronged strategy" in September to fight the delta variant.
"I'll be putting forward a detailed strategy outlining how we'll fight COVID this winter. Not with shutdowns and lockdowns, but with widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing, and more," Biden said.
In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday morning, the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who joined Biden for his White House remarks, argued omicron gives Americans more reason to get their COVID-19 booster shots -- or for getting the jab if they haven't been vaccinated already.
"We just need to make sure that we know we have tools against the virus in general," Fauci said.
Fauci told Biden in a meeting on Sunday that it would likely take two weeks for a better picture of omicron's transmissibility and severity, according to a White House readout of the meeting. Fauci said on ABC's "This Week" that it will also take time to determine if the current COVID-19 vaccine is effective against the new variant.
"The pharmaceutical companies are preparing to make a specific booster for this, but we may not need that," Fauci said on "Good Morning America."
Biden said on Monday if the omicron variant prompts a need for a new vaccine, the White House is working with officials at Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson to develop contingency plans. But as of now, he does not expect additional action, like specialized boosters, will be necessary to combat omicron.
The president also seized the chance to ask Americans to mask up when indoors in public settings despite many localities having let their mask mandates expire.
"If you and your family are fully vaccinated, you can celebrate the holidays much more safely," he said.
Biden is also meeting with CEOs from different business sectors amid supply chain and inflation concerns in the afternoon. He previously had public remarks on the economy on his schedule, but the White House said those moved to Wednesday.
The president continues to face low polling numbers and mounting political pressure heading into the holiday season with several crises converging, from the ongoing pandemic to supply chain woes and rising consumer prices.
