The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that initial COVID-19 vaccines “may not prevent infection” from the Omicron COVID-19 variant. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told CNBC that so far, preliminary data suggest the variant—named last month—can breach current vaccine antibodies. That means, she argued, that people need to “continue to wear their masks to prevent the infections overall” because the vaccines “may not prevent infection.” Walensky conceded that the overall number of Omicron-related deaths appears to be fewer than previous COVID-19 waves. In the United States, officials believe the lone death occurred this week in Houston, Texas. She said that there “have been a minority” of deaths, and “fewer than we’ve seen for other variants so far.” Still, Walensky said that more people need to receive vaccines and booster shots. The South African Health Ministry recently said that hospitalizations from Omicron are one-tenth that of the initial …