Omicron Variant Spreads To 23 Countries – WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has disclosed that the new coronavirus variant of concern, Omicron, has been detected in 23 countries.

Speaking during a virtual briefing in Geneva, on Wednesday, the WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said the number of cases was expected to grow.

Ghebreyesus said: “WHO takes this development extremely seriously, and so should every country. But it should not surprise us.

“This is what viruses do. And it’s what this virus will continue to do, as long as we allow it to continue spreading.”

He added experts were learning more about the variant, “but there’s still more to learn about its effect on transmission, the severity of disease, and the effectiveness of tests, therapeutics and vaccines”.

The WHO DG urged countries to take “rational, proportional risk-reduction measures,” including those aimed at delaying or reducing spread, such as screening passengers or implementing quarantines for international travellers.

He, however, said travel bans would not prevent the international spread of Omicron, adding that they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.

Ghebreyesus warned that the current “toxic mix of low vaccine coverage and low testing is a recipe for breeding and amplifying variants.”

According to him, “We need to use the tools we already have to prevent transmission and save lives from Delta and if we do that, we will also prevent transmission and save lives from Omicron. But if countries and individuals don’t do what they need to do to stop transmission of Delta, they won’t stop Omicron either.

“The Ile-de-France Regional Health Agency (ARS) was informed on Wednesday 1 December of a positive result by sequencing of the Omicron variant, in a person residing in the region, screened on his return from a trip to Nigeria. The entourage was tested and placed in solitary confinement.”