TEDROS SAYS VACCINES ALONE WILL NOT PROTECT AGAINST THE VARIANT - Omicron spreading at an unprecedented rate: WHO

‘PRESENT LIKELY IN MOST NATIONS, EVEN IF IT HASN’T BEEN DETECTED YET’

NEW DELHI: The World Health Organisation warned on Tuesday that the new variant Omicron was spreading at an unprecedented rate and was likely already present in most countries around the world.

“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,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, adding that “Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant.”

Tedros said vaccines alone will not protect against omicron. He called for countries to use masks, social distancing, proper ventilation and hand hygiene to prevent contagion.

He added that the WHO is worried that countries are dismissing Omicron as a mild variant. Though it 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.