By doubling Omicron cases at least every 3 days, the WHO says Coronavirus pandemic News

The global health agency says there is “still limited data” on the clinical severity of the new variant, which has been reported so far in 89 countries.

The Omicron variant of coronavirus is spreading much faster than the Delta strain in countries with documented community transmission, doubling the number of cases in 1.5 to 3 days, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In an update on Saturday, the United Nations health agency said Omicron had been reported in 89 countries.

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

The agency named Omicron a concern on November 26, shortly after it was first detected by South African scientists, and it is not yet known. Scientists do not know how dangerous it is, but early data suggest that it may be more resistant and transmissible to vaccines than the Delta variant.

“There are still limited data on the clinical severity of omicron,” the WHO said in its update. “More data is needed to understand the severity profile and how vaccines and previous immunities affect severity.”

He added, “There is limited data available so far, and there is no peer-reviewed evidence on the efficacy or effectiveness of the vaccine so far in Omicron.”

On Friday, non-members were examined by Imperial College London he said With Omicron, the risk of infection is five times higher and has not been shown to be milder than Delta.

The study questioned the cautious optimism of some experts, especially based on the anecdotal accounts of South Africa, that the new strain may not be so virulent and that it will not go beyond the health system.

The study was released on the third day in a row that British officials reported a record number of COVID-19 cases, rising to 93,045 new infections, while French Prime Minister Jean Castex paired Omicron’s “lightning” spread in Europe.

On Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden he warned Due to the “winter of serious illness and death” for those not vaccinated against COVID-19, the health ministers of the G7 bloc of advanced economies have told Omicron the biggest threat to public health in the world.

Tedros came after WHO chief Adhanom Ghebreyesus he said Omicron is “expanding at a pace we haven’t seen before,” and lamented that some are dismissing it as a light variant.

“Surely we know by now that we are underestimating this virus at our own risk,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “Although Omicron causes fewer serious illnesses, it can again overwhelm large numbers of unprepared health systems.”