Amid Omicron scare, WHO says new variant causing infections in vaccinated people

By Team Newsable | First Published Dec 21, 2021, 8:47 AM IST

Soumya Swaminathan, WHO head scientist, stated that based on preliminary information, it would be "unwise" to assume that Omicron was a milder variation than earlier ones.

The World Health Organization has issued a warning that the Omicron form of the coronavirus is spreading quicker than the Delta variant and is infecting persons who have already been vaccinated or who have recovered from the COVID-19 sickness. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO head scientist, stated that based on preliminary information, it would be "unwise" to assume that Omicron was a milder variation than earlier ones. She predicted that all healthcare systems would be put under duress as the population grows. According to her, the variation effectively dodges some immune responses, implying that the booster programmes being implemented in many nations should target persons with weakened immune systems.

Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that there is now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading substantially faster than Delta. Persons who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 are more likely to be infected or re-infected. Their remarks reflected the Imperial College London research findings, which revealed last week that the risk of reinfection was more than five times higher and showed no signs of being milder than Delta.

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Also Read | WHO says Omicron now present in at least 89 countries, spreading faster than Delta

In the near term, Tedros warned that holiday celebrations would lead to "more cases, overburdened health systems, and more deaths" in many areas and advised people to postpone gatherings. "A cancelled event is preferable to a cancelled life," he stated. However, the WHO team gave some optimism to a tired world confronting the latest wave by predicting that the epidemic, which has already killed more than 5.6 million people globally, will end in 2022. It pointed to the creation of second-and third-generation vaccinations and the advancement of antimicrobial therapies and other advancements.

Tedros, on the other hand, stated that China, where the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was first found at the end of 2019, must be forthcoming with data and information connected to its origin to improve the reaction in the future.

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