Unvaccinated will face a winter of serious illness and death: Joe Biden

As coronavirus cases spread across the country, US Vice President Joe Biden warned that unvaccinated Americans would face a winter of "serious illness and death."

During a meeting with medical experts and Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss the pandemic, Biden claimed that the country was better prepared to deal with the omicron variant of COVID-19 due to actions taken during the meeting to limit travel and expand access to boosters.

"We're looking at a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated, their families, and the hospitals they'll soon overwhelm," Biden continued.

"But there is some good news. If you've been immunised and received your booster shot, you're immune to serious illness and death."

"It's past time," the president said after a briefing with his coronavirus team at the White House on Thursday.

"If we do this, we will protect the economic recovery. If we do this, we will be able to keep our schools and businesses open," said Biden.

Infections have increased by 40% in the last two weeks across the country, and deaths have increased by more than a third, with more than 1,300 Americans dying every day from the coronavirus.

As the number of cases has grown, some colleges have already announced a shift to online classes, and professional sports leagues and Broadway theatres have cancelled games and performances.

Biden emphasised the importance of booster vaccinations in preventing serious diseases.

Nearly 57 million Americans have had their immune systems boosted, which doctors say is one method of preventing serious illness regardless of the variations.

According to Biden, boosters would help keep the economy and schools open.

Anthony Fauci, Biden's top pandemic medical adviser, said earlier Thursday that the omicron form will most likely be prevalent in the United States in "a few weeks" and warned of hospital overcrowding this winter.

People who have been vaccinated, particularly those who have received booster shots, would be "pretty well protected, at least against serious sickness," he said, adding that those who have not been vaccinated are his main concern.