The new Omicron variant of COVID-19 appears to produce less severe symptoms than the globally dominant Delta variant, but should not be categorized as “mild,” World Health Organization (WHO) officials said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
WHO said early studies showed there was a reduced risk of hospitalization from the variant, first identified in southern Africa and Hong Kong in November, compared with Delta. There also appears to be a lower risk of severe complications in both younger and older people, based on studies from South Africa and England.
The impact on the elderly remains an unanswered question since most of the cases studied so far have been in younger people.
“While Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as mild,” Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in a briefing in Geneva, as he added, “just like previous variants, Omicron is hospitalizing people and it is killing people.”
WHO’s chief warned of a “tsunami” of cases as infections soar to record levels driven by both Omicron and Delta, healthcare systems are overwhelmed, and governments struggle to tame the virus, which has killed more than 5.8 million people.
Tedros repeated his call for equal access and distribution of vaccines globally, as 109 countries will fail to meet the WHO’s deadline to vaccinate 70% of the world’s population by July, Tedros added. As a result, the acute phase of the pandemic can be ended.
“Booster after booster in a small number of countries will not end a pandemic while billions remain completely unprotected,” he said.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.