Geneva, MINA – The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday warned that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus could spread rapidly and could infect people who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from the Covid-19 disease.
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said, with numbers rising, all health systems would be under pressure, he told reporters as quoted from Channel News Asia.
“This variant manages to evade some of immune responses,” he said, meaning booster programs in many countries should be targeted at people with weaker immune systems.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in the briefing added: “There is now consistent evidence that Omicron spreads significantly faster than the Delta variant,” he said.
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In the short term, Tedros said holiday celebrations in many places would lead to “an increase in cases, overwhelmed health systems,” and urged people to postpone gatherings.
“A canceled event is better than a canceled life,” he said. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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