The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that a new variant of the coronavirus, first detected in South Africa, is spreading worldwide at an unprecedented rate. No other variant of the virus has been seen to spread so fast before, the company said.
At a news conference on Tuesday (December 14th), WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanam Gabreyesus revealed the information, according to a report on the BBC.
The head of the World Health Organization told reporters at a news conference that the virus had spread to six countries since its detection in the last week of November. No other variant has been seen to spread so fast before.
However, he acknowledged that their numbers were insufficient to defeat Corona’s Omicron variant. He expressed concern that steps had not been taken to control Omicron.
However, in the current situation, the World Health Organization has advised strictly adhering to the Corona restrictions. Even if vaccinated, there is a risk of re-infection in this variant.
Tedros Adhanam Gebreiusus says many do not value Omicron as mild. But no matter how small the incidence of Omicron is, so many people can be infected that the health system can be hit.
He further added, “Vaccination does not mean a mask. It does not mean social distance. All the corona restrictions must be complied with equally. ‘
Regarding booster doses of vaccine, he said that many countries had started giving booster doses, but there is still no evidence that giving booster doses will get rid of Omicron.
It is to be mentioned that on November 24th, for the first time in South Africa, a patient infected with Omicron was identified. After that, it spread to different countries of the world. The World Health Organization has named this variant of Corona B.1.1.529 as ‘Omicron’ after the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.
