Lagatar24 Desk
Washington, Dec 22: As the Omicron strain spreads quickly around the globe, Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has warned that humanity “may be entering the worst stage of the pandemic,” underlining that Omicron will “strike home for all of us.”
Just when it seemed like life would return to normal, we could be entering the worst part of the pandemic. Omicron will hit home for all of us. Close friends of mine now have it, and I’ve canceled most of my holiday plans.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) December 21, 2021
Gates said in a series of tweets that he has cancelled most of his vacation plans since his as his close friends are increasingly being infected with the Covid-19 virus.
“Just when it appeared like everything was getting back to normal, the epidemic may be reaching its peak. For everybody, Omicron will be a personal experience. My close pals now have it, and I’ve cancelled the majority of my vacation plans “Gates tweeted on Tuesday.
Notably, in the wake of the Omicron outbreak, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has already stated that “an event cancelled is better than a life cancelled.” Omicron has taken over in the United States, accounting for 73% of new infections.
“Omicron is spreading at a higher rate than any other virus in recorded history. It will soon be available in every country on the planet ” said Bill Gates.
“The huge unknown is how sick you get from omicron. We must take it seriously until we have further information. Because it’s so infectious, even if it’s only half as bad as Delta, it’ll be the worst surge we’ve seen so far ” he added.
Scientists in the United Kingdom have urged for immediate restrictions to combat the fast-spreading Omicron strain of Covid-19, saying that waiting until the New Year to implement them could be “too late.”
In India, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday that the new Covid variant Omicron is three times more transmissible than the Delta variant.
Gates said that if there’s good news here, it’s that Omicron moves so quickly that once it becomes dominant in a country, the wave there should last less than 3 months.
“Those few months could be bad, but I still believe if we take the right steps, the pandemic can be over in 2022,” he said in a tweet.
