As the countries struggle to contain the Omicron-led COVID-19 wave, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief today warned the new variant is a “dangerous” virus.
Speaking to reporters during a press conference, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “while Omicron causes less severe disease than Delta, it remains a dangerous virus, particularly for those who are unvaccinated.” More than 15 million people worldwide contracted the novel coronavirus last week, a new record since the pandemic began. The number of new cases worldwide increased by 55% last week, the UN Agency added, noting that new deaths rose by more than 3%.
The pandemic has increased in all regions except Africa, which has seen an 11 percent decrease. The increase over one week even reached more than 400% in part of Asia and 122% in the Western Pacific. This is followed by the Eastern Mediterranean (86%), the Americas (78%), and the European region (31%).
According to the latest epidemiological bulletin, the situation is especially worrying in the Southeast Asian Region, which has reported almost 700,000 new cases. This is an increase of 418%, an incidence not seen since mid-August 2021.
Moreover, the current global epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 is characterized by the emergence of Omicron, the declining prevalence of Delta, and the very low circulation of the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma variants, according to the WHO.
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