WHO leader warns that Omicroni is creating a ‘tsunami’ of COVID cases | Coronavirus pandemic News

The head of the World Health Organization has warned that Omicron and Delta coronavirus variants could cause a “tsunami” of COVID-19 cases, which will put “tremendous pressure” on health systems.

“I am very concerned that Omicron will be more transmissible [and] It is circulating at the same time as the delta, causing a tsunami case, ”WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in an online press conference on Wednesday.

Two years after the new Coronavirus appeared, senior officials at the United Nations health agency have warned that it was still too early to say if the initial data suggested that Omicron, the latest variant detected, had been brought in. milder disease.

First reported last month in South Africa, is a variant that is already prevalent in the United States and parts of Europe.

As 92 of the 194 countries in the WHO failed to vaccinate 40% of the population by the end of the year, Tedros called on everyone to adopt a “New Year’s resolution” in support of the 70% vaccination campaign. in early July.

According to the WHO, the number of registered COVID-19 cases worldwide rose by 11 per cent from last week compared to the previous week, when it was almost 4.99 million new from 20 to 26 December.

New cases in Europe, which accounted for more than half of the total, rose by 3 per cent, compared to 39% in the Americas and 7% in Africa.

Concerned about the rise in cases, the head of the WHO said “there will be tremendous pressure on exhausted health workers and health systems. [on] on the verge of collapse ”.

The WHO said in its weekly epidemiological report that the “overall risk” associated with Omicron “remains very high”.

He cited “consistent evidence” that it has a growth advantage over the Delta variant.

He noted the decline in the incidence of cases in South Africa, and the first figures for that country, the United Kingdom and Denmark. suggests a reduced risk of hospitalization With Omicron, however, more data was needed.

WHO Chief Emergency Officer Michael Ryan emphasized this cautionary note. He said it would be important to “eliminate as much as possible the transmission of the two variants” in the coming weeks.

Ryan said Omicron infections started largely among young people.

“What we haven’t seen is the Omicron wave is fully established in the wider population,” he said.

“And I’m a little nervous to see how vaccine protection works in these older, more vulnerable populations to make positive predictions.”

Disinformation and the difference between vaccines

Tedros frustrated the attitude of the richest countries, accusing them of piling up weapons to fight COVID-19 and leaving the back door open for the virus.

“Populism, narrow nationalism and health tools, including masks, therapeutics, diagnoses and vaccines, a small number of countries, undermined equity and created the perfect conditions for the emergence of new variants,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said that misinformation in 2021 was a constant distraction, hindering efforts to overcome the pandemic.

“In the current wave of cases in Europe and many parts of the world, the misinformation that has prompted vaccination doubts is leading to a disproportionate death of unvaccinated people,” he said.

Tedros lamented that although 1.8 million deaths were recorded in 2020, they rose to 3.5 million in 2021; and the actual number would be much higher.

But he said he was “optimistic about it” [2022] not only is the end of the acute phase of the pandemic, it could be the year we chart the path to stronger health security. ”