Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, is feeling mildly optimistic about the Omicron coronavirus variant. On Tuesday, he told AFP News Agency that early reports indicate that the new variant, which was first reported in November out of South Africa, is “almost certainly” no more severe than the Delta strain. Though the variant is still very transmissible—perhaps more transmissible than Delta—it doesn’t seem as likely to cause severe illness. Fauci stressed that though it was too soon to reach firm conclusions, he isn’t anticipating a “worst case scenario.”