WHO\u2019s Africa branch said the continent had recorded 107,000 extra cases in the week to Sunday
\n GENEVA
\nFeatures of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron, including the extent to which it will spread, and the sheer number of mutations, suggest that it could have a major impact on the course of the pandemic, but it\u2019s still too early to say for sure.
\nThat was one key takeaway from a weekly briefing on the virus from WHO Director General, Tedros Ghebreyesus.
\nTedros highlighted \u201ca consistent picture of rapid increase in transmission\u201d but said that the exact rate of increase relative to other variants remains difficult to quantify. So far, Omicron has been reported in 57 countries, and WHO expects the number to continue growing.
\nDespite some data from South Africa suggesting increased risk of re-infection with Omicron, more data is needed. The variant might also cause milder disease than Delta, but there is no definitive answer yet.
\n\u201cNew data are emerging every day, but scientists need time to complete studies and interpret the results. We must be careful about drawing firm conclusions until we have a more complete picture\u201d, Tedros explained. In this context, the WHO chief called on all countries to increase surveillance, testing and sequencing. \u201cAny complacency now will cost lives\u201d, he warned.
\nEven though the world still needs answers to some crucial questions, Tedros said people everywhere are not defenceless against Omicron, or Delta. \u201cThe steps countries take today, and in the coming days and weeks will determine how Omicron unfolds. If countries wait until their hospitals start to fill up, it\u2019s too late. Don\u2019t wait. Act now\u201d, he said. He also asked countries to avoid \u201cineffective and discriminatory\u201d travel bans.
\nThis week, France and Switzerland have lifted their travel bans on southern African countries, and Tedros urged other countries to follow their lead. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WHO\u2019s Africa branch said the continent had recorded 107,000 extra cases in the week to Sunday GENEVA Features of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron, including the extent to which it will spread, and the sheer number of mutations, suggest that it could have a major impact on the course of the pandemic, but it\u2019s still […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1517,959,785],"class_list":{"0":"post-232009","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-impact","9":"tag-omicron","10":"tag-who"},"yoast_head":"\n