Omicron cases double in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with local spread

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) – A variant of the Omicron coronavirus has been reported in 89 countries and is doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas of community-based transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.

Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity, but it is unclear whether the virus has the ability to prevent immunity, its increased inherent transmissibility, or a combination of both, the WHO said in an update.

The agency named Omicron a worrying variant on November 26, shortly after it was first detected, and not much is known about it, including the severity of the disease it causes.

“There are still limited data on the clinical severity of omicron,” the WHO said. “More data is needed to understand how the severity profile and vaccines and existing immunity affect severity.”

In addition, “there is limited data available to date, and there is no peer-reviewed evidence of vaccine efficacy or effectiveness for Omicron to date.”

The WHO warns that cases are growing so fast that hospitals could become overcrowded in some places.

“Hospitalizations in the UK and South Africa continue to rise, and as the number of cases grows faster and faster, many healthcare systems are likely to overflow rapidly.”