CDC Director: Initial COVID-19 Vaccines ‘May Not Be Enough’ for Omicron

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies during a U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to examine the COVID-19 response, focusing on an update from federal officials, on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 18, 2021. Susan Walsh/Pool via Reuters

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that initial COVID-19 vaccines “may not prevent infection” from the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told CNBC that so far, preliminary data suggest the variant—named last month—can breach current vaccine antibodies.