Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Dec.18: The Omicron strain of coronavirus has been registered in 89 countries, and the number of cases in places with community transmission doubles every 1.5 to 3 days, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO said in an update that Omicron is spreading rapidly in nations with high levels of population immunity, but it’s unclear if this is due to the virus’ capacity to circumvent protection, its intrinsic greater transmissibility, or a mix of both.
Omicron was recognised as a variant of concern by the CDC on Nov. 26, shortly after it was discovered, and little is known about it, including the severity of the sickness it produces.
“There are still limited data on the clinical severity of Omicron,” the WHO said by adding, “More data are needed to understand the severity profile and how severity is impacted by vaccination and pre-existing immunity.”
“There are still limited available data, and no peer-reviewed evidence, on vaccine efficacy or effectiveness to date for Omicron,” it added.
The WHO has cautioned that as the number of patients rises, hospitals may become overburdened in some areas.
“Hospitalizations in the UK and South Africa continue to rise, and given rapidly increasing case counts, it is possible that many healthcare systems may become quickly overwhelmed.”
