The World Health Organisation says cases of the Omicron
COVID variant have been reported in at least 23 countries.
Omicron — labelled a “variant of concern” — was detected by
South African authorities and subsequently reported to the WHO.
Speaking on Wednesday during a virtual briefing in Geneva,
Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said the number of cases is expected
to grow.
“WHO takes this development extremely seriously, and so
should every country,” he said
“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 said experts were learning more about the variant, “but
there’s still more to learn about its effect on transmission, 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.
“We need to use the tools we already have to prevent
transmission and save lives from Delta,” he said
“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.”
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