The risk of Omicron is still “very high,” says the WHO
Total risk Omicron is still “very high,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday as the world continues to increase the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide.
A weekly WHO epidemiological update revealed that In December, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased by 11% worldwide compared to the previous week.
“Consistent evidence suggests that Omicron has a growth advantage over Delta with a doubling period of 2-3 days, and the incidence of cases has increased rapidly in several countries, including those where the variant has become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant,” the WHO update said, citing examples from the UK and the US.
However, the incidence of cases has now been reduced in South Africa, it added.
The WHO noted that the rapid growth rate is likely to be a combination of both immune evasion and increased internal infection of the Omicron variant.
“Preliminary data from the UK, South Africa and Denmark suggest that the risk of hospitalization for Omicron is lower than with the Delta variant,” the WHO weekly update noted, but added that more information is needed to understand the clinical signs of severity, including use. oxygen, mechanical ventilation and death, and how severity may affect vaccination.
Omicron was first discovered in South Africa last month. Health officials in South Africa, but also health experts in other countries, have said that the Omicron variant is much more contagious but causes mild cases.
Source: ANI