The omicron variant is gaining a foothold in Europe. Scientists say it is spreading faster than delta and can do so even in places where many people are vaccinated. What could this mean for the U.S.? Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr of Columbia University was interviewed by NPR’s Will Stone on the variant. “We would anticipate in the United States is that over time, it would become the dominant variant. Because it’s always the more transmissible one that takes over”, according to El-Sadr, who also says it’s still too early to know how quickly the virus will spread because a growing share of the population has booster shots. “There are early indications that boosters do offer protection against infections. This in and of itself may very much influence the trajectory of omicron in a country like the United States versus in a country like South Africa.”