The WHO chief cautioned that the novel Covid-19 strain is a “dangerous” virus as countries fight to stop the Omicron-led Covid outbreak.
“Although Omicron produces less severe illness than Delta, it is nonetheless a hazardous virus, particularly for individuals who have not been vaccinated,” WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference.
The World Health Organization’s director-general emphasized the importance of vaccinating 70 percent of the world’s population by the middle of 2020, citing data showing that just 5 percent of individuals in low-income nations had been vaccinated against COVID-19. As of now, just 50 percent of the world’s population has been completely vaccinated, 9 percent have been partially vaccinated, and 41 percent have not been vaccinated at all.
On Twitter, he voiced concern and wrote:
“We must speed up our efforts to expand production, remove trade barriers, and share doses to vaccinate 70 per cent of populations in ALL countries by mid-2022. #VaccinEquity will save countless lives.”
We must speed up our efforts to expand production, remove trade barriers, and share doses to vaccinate 70% of populations in ALL countries by mid-2022. #VaccinEquity will save countless lives. https://t.co/SKbrPLWsxx
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 12, 2022
The WHO has previously released a statement saying that Omicron is not a “common cold or a minor sickness,” but in reality, there are grounds to be concerned. The infection must be taken carefully since there is still a danger of hospitalization and even death.
Four elements affect the danger of the COVID variation, including how fast it spreads, how effectively the vaccination works, and so forth, according to the World Health Organization.
“As Omicron penetrates and circulates among susceptible groups, we will witness a spike in hospitalizations and mortality,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s COVID-19 Technical Head.
More than 120 nations are still experiencing an increase in COVID-19 infections according to Reuters’ worldwide tracking. The virus has infected 312,444,000 people worldwide, while over 5,851,000 have died as a result. The United States, France, and Italy had the most daily instances of Covid-19, with 746,725 reports, 265,837 cases, and 172,559 cases. Despite having vaccinated a large proportion of their population, all of these countries have reported significant positive cases related to the Omicron spread.
On the other hand, the latest data from the Union Health Ministry shows that India has already recorded 3,60,70,510 cases of Covid-19, which includes 4,868 confirmed cases of the Omicron type. In addition, Denmark has reported around 23,228 new cases. Along with Portugal which reported 26,867 new cases.
A whopping 1,360 infections per 100,000 people have been reported in Spain in the last two weeks, and on Wednesday the country reduced its isolation time from ten days to seven. Those who tested free for two days will be permitted to leave isolation following a week in the USA, while Britain has already done the same.