Washington: US President Joe Biden said that the country was prepared to fight against Omicron, which rapidly spreading in the country. Biden on Tuesday said that we prepared to fight against Omicron as Israel which pioneered the use of Covid vaccine boosters announced fourth shots for those over 60 and health workers.

Omicron, now present in dozens of countries, appears to be more infectious than earlier Covid-19 strains, despite early indications that it does not cause a more severe form of Covid-19 than the Delta variant. Biden also said its lightning dash around the globe has led some governments to re-impose restrictions ahead of the holidays, dampening hopes the worst of the pandemic is over, or to re-evaluate their plans to halt the spread.

WHO regional director for Europe, Hans Klugen warned about the Omicron that “We can see a new storm coming.” Biden in his televised address, formally announced a raft of new measures to combat the winter surge — including shipping half a billion at home tests — but denied his administration had failed to adequately prepare for the fresh wave of cases.

“We should all be concerned about Omicron but not panicked,” he said from the White House. “This is not March of 2020,” he continued. “Two hundred million people are fully vaccinated. We’re prepared, we know more. We just have to stay focused, said Biden. The United States will also give $580 million in additional aid to international organizations to fight Covid in the face of surging Omicron cases, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Omicron accounted for 73.2 percent of new US cases over the past week ending Saturday, according to the latest official data. Denmark said Tuesday it had also become the dominant strain there.

In Israel, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said citizens over the age of 60 and medical teams would be eligible for a fourth Covid vaccine shot, following the recommendation of an expert panel. Israel was the first country to make third doses widely available, a decision that was deemed unnecessary by some experts at the time but later vindicated.

“The world will follow in our footsteps,” tweeted Bennett. Amid fears that vaccines might not be as effective against the highly mutated variant, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it was too soon to say if drug companies needed to develop an Omicron-specific jab.

Biden stressed the US immunization campaign would help prevent severe cases among the 62 percent of the population now fully vaccinated — while scolding the unvaccinated for failing to uphold their “patriotic duty.” “Just the other day, former president Trump announced he had gotten his booster shot,” said Biden, calling the gesture “maybe one of the few things he and I agree on.”

As Omicron fears loomed large over the end-of-year holidays, Israel became the latest nation to re-impose tough travel restrictions. Lawmakers banned citizens and residents from travel to the United States, adding it to a list of more than 50 countries declared off-limits.