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Biden said he does not anticipate \"shutdowns or lockdowns\" but wants to ramp up vaccinations and testing in the coming months, following his release of a \"six-pronged strategy\" in September to fight the delta variant.

\"I'll be putting forward a detailed strategy outlining how we'll fight COVID this winter. Not with shutdowns and lockdowns, but with widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing, and more,\" Biden said.

In an interview with ABC's \"Good Morning America\" on Monday morning, the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who joined Biden for his White House remarks, argued omicron gives Americans more reason to get their COVID-19 booster shots -- or for getting the jab if they haven't been vaccinated already.

\"We just need to make sure that we know we have tools against the virus in general,\" Fauci said.

\"PHOTO:
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: President Joe Biden delivers remarks to provide an update on the Omicron variant in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Nov. 29, 2021.
>

Fauci told Biden in a meeting on Sunday that it would likely take two weeks for a better picture of omicron's transmissibility and severity, according to a White House readout of the meeting. Fauci said on ABC's \"This Week\" that it will also take time to determine if the current COVID-19 vaccine is effective against the new variant.

\"The pharmaceutical companies are preparing to make a specific booster for this, but we may not need that,\" Fauci said on \"Good Morning America.\"

Biden said on Monday if the omicron variant prompts a need for a new vaccine, the White House is working with officials at Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson to develop contingency plans. But as of now, he does not expect additional action, like specialized boosters, will be necessary to combat omicron.

The president also seized the chance to ask Americans to mask up when indoors in public settings despite many localities having let their mask mandates expire.

\"If you and your family are fully vaccinated, you can celebrate the holidays much more safely,\" he said.

\"PHOTO:
Loren Elliott/Reuters
PHOTO: Travelers get tested for COVID-19 at a pre-departure testing facility outside the international terminal at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, on Nov. 29, 2021, as countries react to the new omicron variant.
>

Biden is also meeting with CEOs from different business sectors amid supply chain and inflation concerns in the afternoon. He previously had public remarks on the economy on his schedule, but the White House said those moved to Wednesday.

The president continues to face low polling numbers and mounting political pressure heading into the holiday season with several crises converging, from the ongoing pandemic to supply chain woes and rising consumer prices.

ABC News' Sarah Kolinkovsky and Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.

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