According to the World Health Organisation, the latest variant and more infectious coronavirus variant, Omicron, COVID-19 appears to produce less severe disease than the globally dominant Delta strain, however, the Omicron variant should not be categorised as “mild.”
WHO Team Lead, Janet Diaz said at a media briefing from WHO headquarters in Geneva, that early studies have shown there was a reduced risk of hospitalisation from the variant which was initially identified in southern Africa and Hong Kong in November 2020.
Also, there is a reduced risk of severity in both younger and older people.
The Director-General of the World Health organization, commenting on the severity of the variant said, “While Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorised as mild “
“Just like previous variants, Omicron is hospitalising people and it is killing people,” he added.
He warned of the potential of high cases as global infections continue breaking records level, fuelled by both Omicron and Delta as healthcare systems continue to be overwhelmed, and governments struggle to tame the virus, which has killed more than 5.8 million people.
The Director-General repeated his call for greater equity globally in the distribution of and access to vaccines, adding that the current rate of vaccine rollout reveals that 109 countries will miss the WHO’s target for 70% of the world’s population to be fully vaccinated by July. That aim is seen as helping end the acute phase of the pandemic.
He said, “Booster after booster in a small number of countries will not end a pandemic while billions remain completely unprotected.”
Bruce Aylward, a WHO adviser stated that 36 nations had not even reached 10 percent vaccination cover. Among severe patients worldwide, 80% were unvaccinated, he added.
On Thursday, the WHO weekly epidemiological report revealed that globally reported cases have increased by 9.5 million, in the week to January 2nd from a week earlier, while deaths fell by 10%, or 41,000.