Omicron: Fauci doesn't expect lockdowns; hospitals likely stressed

In the U.S., cases have been reported in most states, pushing infections to pandemic-high records in some, including New York

An effective shutdown of the U.S. likely won’t be necessary as Covid-19 surges again, though hospitals will be tested by the expected rush of cases from the omicron variant, according to President Biden’s top medical adviser.

“I don’t foresee the kind of lockdowns that we’ve seen before but I certainly see the potential for stress on our hospital system,” Anthony Fauci, who leads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”

He said the omicron variant has “an extraordinary capacity of transmitting efficiently from person to person.” Omicron is spreading rapidly in Europe, with