Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks to members of the media at the National Institutes of Health October 24, 2014 in Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Anthony FauciAlex Wong/Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci listed eight steps that ordinary people should take to address the new Omicron variant.

In a Tuesday briefing with the White House's COVID-19 response team, Fauci — the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases  —  said existing measures we've taken against COVID-19 should work against the newly detected variant. 

Fauci recommended the following steps to protect against the Omicron variant:

  1. Get vaccinated against COVID-19.
  2. If you're already vaccinated, get a booster shot.
  3. Use masks.
  4. Avoid crowded places.
  5. Gather outdoors where possible.
  6. Socially distance from others.
  7. Get tested.
  8. Isolate from others if you test positive for COVID-19

"These things we have been doing, we need to keep doing them," Fauci said. 

The Omicron variant was first identified in southern Africa and has since spread to 20 countries, Fauci said.

"Confirmed cases, as of yesterday, was 205 in 18 countries. And just this morning, that's gone up to 226 in 20 countries," Fauci said. 

Fauci said the Omicron variant's mutations suggest it may be able to dodge some of the body's immune defenses, but said scientists are still learning more about the new strain.

It's "very difficult to know" whether the variant will be associated with more severe disease, he added. 

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