The Omicron variant, which is spreading at an unprecedented rate, "remains adangerous virus" even though it causes milder symptoms, the World Health Organization warned today.
"Although Omicron causes less severe symptoms compared to Delta, it remains a dangerous virus, especially for those who have not been vaccinated," WHO Director-General Tedros Adanom Gebrejesus insisted at a press conference.
The milder symptoms, particularly in those fully vaccinated or those who have also received the booster dose, lead some to conclude that the disease is not as severe. But, as Tedros said, "greater contagiousness means more hospitalizations, more deaths, more people unable to work, including teachers and health workers, and more risks that another variant will emerge that is even more contagious and deadly" than Omicron.
"This is not a mild disease, it is a disease that we can prevent with vaccines," commented Mike Ryan, the head of the emergency response service at the WHO, for his part. "Now is not the time to give up, now is not the time to say this virus is welcome, no virus is welcome," he stressed."
The hope of some is that Omicron will replace the more dangerous variants and thus turn the pandemic into an endemic, manageable disease.
Tedros also called for pregnant women to be included in clinical trials for new treatments and vaccines for Covid-19.
Cases in the Americas have doubled
[BR][BR]The spread of Covid-19 in the Americas, due to the Omicron variant, has reached levels never seen before. Cases doubled, to 6.1 million, last week, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Omicron has been detected in almost all countries in the Americas and is expected to become the predominant variant in this region very soon.
Most cases are reported in the US, particularly in the Eastern and Midwestern states. According to the CDC, hospitalizations increased by 33% and deaths by about 40% last week. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walenski explained that the increase in deaths appears to be due to the surge caused by the Delta variant. The wave caused by Omicron is expected to peak in the coming weeks and "we will have to wait and see what impact" this variant will have in terms of deaths.
Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil are also facing large waves while in Argentina and Paraguay infections have risen by almost 300% in one week.
"One of the features that makes Omicron stand out seems to be the less severe symptoms. Even so, Omicron infections can be fatal, especially in immunocompromised and unvaccinated people," warned PAHO director Karissa Etienne at a press conference in Brasilia. She therefore urged all citizens to get vaccinated. Almost 60% of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated for Covid-19. The highest vaccination rates are recorded in Chile, Cuba and Argentina.
Source: in.gr
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