Joe Biden says US Covid surge should be ?a source of concern but not panic?

Speaking to state governors on Monday, Joe Biden said the dramatic surge in US Covid cases caused by the Omicron variant "should be a source of concern but it should not be a source of panic".

"If you're fully vaccinated and got your booster shot," Biden said, "you're highly protected. If you're unvaccinated, you're at a high risk of getting severely ill from Covid-19, being hospitalised and in some cases dying."

The president outlined plans to help states tackle the rising caseload. But he did so as uncertainty and disruption continued to spread, particularly in the aviation industry, and as his chief medical adviser said Americans should avoid large New Year's Eve events.

Fauci added that he hoped the surge in cases would subside in January. But he said infections could still overwhelm hospitals, especially in highly unvaccinated areas.

"We really still need to be extremely careful," he told MSNBC.

New York, home to a traditionally huge celebration in Times Square, has said this year's event will be scaled back. Authorities said 15,000 people would be allowed into official viewing areas, down from 58,000.

Biden last week announced reinforcements to bolster hospitals and testing, but some experts say that effort is too little, too late. On Monday, the president and his Covid advisers met with the group representing state governors.