New Delhi: The World Health Organization on Tuesday warned that the new omicron Covid-19 variant is spreading faster than any previous strain, and it is probably present in every country of the world. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “77 countries have now reported cases of Omicron and the reality is that Omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet. Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant.”
Tedros said the WHO is worried that countries are dismissing omicron as a mild variant. Though omicron is more contagious, it is not yet clear whether the variant causes more mild or severe disease than past strains of the virus. “We have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril,” Tedros said. “Even if omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems,” he said.
Tedros warned that vaccines alone will not protect the nations of the world from omicron, emphasizing the importance of masks and social distancing. “It’s not vaccines instead of masks. It’s not vaccines instead of distancing. It’s not vaccines instead of ventilation or hand hygiene. Do it all. Do it consistently. Do it well,” Tedros said.
Speaking on booster doses, Tedros said the emergence of Omicron has prompted some countries to roll out booster programmes against Covid-19 for their entire adult populations, even while we lack evidence for the effectiveness of boosters against this variant. “WHO is concerned that such programmes will repeat the Covid vaccines hoarding we saw this year, and exacerbate inequity. It’s clear that as we move forward, boosters could play an important role, especially for those at highest risk of severe disease death.”
Tedros further said the WHO is not against boosters but is against inequity and its main concern is to save lives everywhere and not only in few countries. “Let me be very clear, WHO is not against boosters. We are against inequality. Our main concern is to save lives, everywhere,” WHO added.
The variant significantly reduces the protection against infection provided Pfizer and BioNTech’s two-dose vaccine, according to preliminary lab data released by the companies last week. Scientists at the University of Oxford published a study on Monday that also found the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are less effective against omicron.
However, the vaccines likely still protect against severe disease. Pfizer and BioNTech found that a booster shot provides significant levels of protection against omicron.
from World – India.com | Top Latest News from India, USA and Top national Breaking News stories https://ift.tt/3EVLOQZ
