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

By Team Newsable | First Published Dec 19, 2021, 8:36 AM IST

According to the WHO, it is spreading far quicker than the Delta form in places with established community transmission, with a doubling period of 1.5–3 days.

The COVID-19 Omicron variant is now found in 89 countries, with the caseload quickly growing. While little is known about the newly found variant, the World Health Organization reports that it is spreading "much quicker than the Delta form." Preliminary evidence also suggests that the severely altered form exhibits humoral immune evasion.
As of December 16, the "very divergent variation" has been found in 89 countries across all six WHO regions.

According to the most current WHO Technical Brief, there is "consistent evidence" that Omicron has a significant growth advantage over Delta and is expected to outperform the other variety in areas where community transmission occurs. The total danger presented by Omicron is determined by its transmissibility, virulence, vaccination efficacy, and other factors.

Tap to resize

Latest Videos

Tap to resize

According to the WHO, it is spreading far quicker than the Delta form in places with established community transmission, with a doubling period of 1.5–3 days. Omicron is spreading swiftly in nations with high levels of population immunity, and it is unclear to what degree the observed rapid growth rate may be attributable to immune evasion, inherent greater transmissibility, or a mix of the two, according to the study.

Also Read | G7 calls Omicron variant “biggest current threat to global public health”

While research is being conducted, it is unknown how effective current immunizations will be against the new type. Vaccine manufacturers such as Russia's Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and Pfizer have begun working on new versions of its COVID-19 jabs to tackle Omicron in recent weeks.

According to the WHO, more data is needed to understand the severity profile and how vaccination and pre-existing immunity affect severity. According to the report, hospitalisations in the United Kingdom and South Africa continue to climb, and with fast increasing case counts, many healthcare systems may soon become overloaded. According to the recently issued technical brief, there is currently no peer-reviewed evidence of vaccination efficacy or effectiveness for Omicron.

For more reliable and latest news