Asking Citizens Of Immediate Vaccination Against Omicron Variant, President Biden: Your Choice Is The Difference Between Life Or Death

Illustration of a COVID-19 vaccination in the United States. (Wikimedia Commons/Petty Officer 3rd Class MacAdam Weissman/Joint Region Marianas)

JAKARTA - The President of the United States (US) Joe Biden asked his citizens to immediately complete or receive a COVID-19 vaccination, to combat the Omicron variant that is sweeping the world with European countries considering imposing new restrictions.

Omicron infections are doubling across Europe, the United States and Asia, including in Japan, where one cluster of COVID-19 cases at military bases has grown to at least 180.

"If you're not fully vaccinated, you have good reason to be worried," President Biden said at the White House, where he announced plans to buy 500 million rapid COVID-19 tests to distribute free of charge to Americans who request them starting in January.

In a firm tone about the risk of one in four American adults who are still unvaccinated, he said: "Your choice could be the difference between life and death."

In addition, President Biden also activated about 1,000 military medical personnel to support the already overwhelmed hospitals.

To note, the Omicron variant now accounts for 73 percent of all new cases of COVID-19 in the United States, up from less than 1 percent previously at the start of the month.

Separately, Hans Kluge, head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Europe said at a press conference in Vienna, within weeks the Omicron variant will dominate in more countries in the region, "pushing already stretched health systems further to the brink."

"We could see another storm coming," Kluge said.

Germany, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and South Korea are among countries that have reimposed partial or full lockdowns or other social distancing measures in recent days.

As of Tuesday, the variant had been confirmed in 106 countries, according to the WHO, after being first detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong.

The severity of the disease it causes remains unclear, but the WHO warns it spreads faster than the Delta variant and causes infection in people who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from the COVID-19 illness.

To note, more than 274 million people have been reported to be infected with the coronavirus globally since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. More than 5.65 million people have died.