WHO says Omicron appears to spread faster than Delta, decreases vaccination effectiveness

According to the WHO, little data shows that Omricron is spreading faster than Delta in South Africa, where Delta is less widespread, and in the United Kingdom and other nations where Delta is the dominant strain.

The Omicron variant of coronavirus appears to spread quicker than the Delta variant and reduces vaccine efficacy, citing early information on the clinical severity of the new strain, said the World Health Organisation. The Omicron variation, which was discovered in South Africa, is a highly divergent variant with many mutations, some of which may be connected with immunological escape potential and increased transmissibility. As of December 9, the WHO reported that instances of infection with the new strain had been found in 63 countries. According to the WHO, little data shows that Omricron is spreading faster than Delta in South Africa, where Delta is less widespread, and in the United Kingdom and other nations where Delta is the dominant strain.

The Delta variant, which was discovered in India earlier this year, is responsible for most coronavirus infections worldwide. The WHO stated in a technical brief that preliminary results, as well as the dramatically changed antigenic profile of the Omicron spike protein, suggest a decrease in vaccination effectiveness against Omicron infection and transmission. It went on to say that, based on the findings thus far, Omicron is predicted to outperform the Delta variant when community transmission occurs. According to the WHO, all Omicron instances recorded thus far have been mild or asymptomatic, although the data is inadequate to determine the variant's clinical severity.

Following the discovery of Omicron, various governments worldwide implemented travel restrictions on southern African countries and restored internal travel restrictions to limit its spread.

In other news, on Sunday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned of an approaching "tidal wave" of Omicron, putting the goal date for over-18s back by one month to the end of December. Johnson claimed in a televised address that a tidal wave of Omicron was approaching after the country's medical experts raised the Covid Alert Level owing to a "rapid rise" in infection caused by the mutation.