US Vice President Kamala Harris answers a question from a journalist at the Ceremonial Office of the Eisenhower Executive Building in Washington, DC on December 10, 2021. (Photo by AFP)

US Vice President Kamala Harris has acknowledged that Joe Biden’s administration failed to prepare for the emergence of new coronavirus variants.

Neither the Delta nor Omicron COVID-19 variants were anticipated by the Biden administration, Harris said in a Friday interview.

We didn’t see Delta coming. I think most scientists did not - upon whose advice and direction we have relied - didn’t see Delta coming. We didn’t see Omicron coming. And that’s the nature of what this, this awful virus has been, which as it turns out, has mutations and variants, Harris told Los Angeles Times newspaper.

Harris claimed despite relying on scientists and experts in the medical field, the US government could not predict and prepare to fight the variants.

I think most scientists did not - upon whose advice and direction we have relied -didn’t see Delta coming, she added.

The comment from Harris comes as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has predicted that COVID-19 cases and deaths will increase in the US over the next month.

Scientists, however, have remained uncertain as to how dangerous the highly mutated Omicron variant could be.

Since the new, heavily-mutated variant was first detected in southern Africa last month, it has been reported in 77 countries, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters this week.

He said that Omicron was very contagious, adding that it was dangerous.

Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems, he warned.