WHO expects increase in number of deaths, hospitalisations due to Omicron

By Team Newsable  |  First Published Dec 14, 2021, 7:22 PM IST

According to Sputnik, the UN health body also stated that additional data is needed to properly comprehend the clinical picture of patients infected with Omicron.


The World Health Organization predicts an increase in the number of hospitalisations and fatalities associated with the new Omicron coronavirus strain, according to Sputnik. In a statement, the health body said that as the number of cases related to a variation of concern rises internationally, we anticipate an increase in hospitalised patients and fatalities.
According to Sputnik, the UN health body also stated that additional data is needed to properly comprehend the clinical picture of patients infected with Omicron. The WHO invites nations to contribute to the gathering and exchanging hospitalised patient data via the WHO COVID-19 Clinical Data Platform.

It comes after the WHO revealed details on the new COVID-19 variant Omicron last week, including the degree to which it will spread and the number of mutations in the new strain.
The United Nations' health agency has stated that a new variation might significantly influence the path of the epidemic, but it is still too early to tell.
The WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, stated last week that this underlined "a consistent picture of the fast rise in transmission." However, he cautioned that the exact growth rate relative to other variations remains difficult to measure.

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Also Read | WHO says Omicron might alter trajectory of pandemic, urges govt to speed up vaccination

According to early evidence on the clinical severity of the new strain, the Omicron variation of coronavirus appears to spread faster than the Delta variant and lowers vaccination effectiveness. The Omicron variant, identified in South Africa, is a highly divergent variant with several mutations, which may be linked to immunological escape potential and greater transmissibility.

During a news conference, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared that they could prevent Omicron from becoming a global crisis. He also indicated that while preliminary research suggests that Omicron is gentler than the delta strain, it is too soon to be definite.

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