WHO warns against treating Omicron lightly, expects severe cases

• WHO cautioned against treating Omicron as a mild disease

• “If a system is overburdened, then people will die,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead

The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned the world of the severity of the illness caused due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, “We know that people infected with omicron can have the full spectrum of disease, from asymptomatic infection to mild disease, all the way to severe disease to death.” 

Related news: WHO member nations vote to start drafting plan to deal with future pandemics

Van Kerkhove told the reporters in a question and answer session that multiple infections could lead to too many hospitalizations which could burden healthcare systems.

“If a system is overburdened, then people will die. We have to be careful that there isn’t a narrative out there that it’s just a mild disease,” Van Kerkhove said.

She stressed the need to continue wearing masks, maintaining distance from people, and washing hands constantly to avoid the spread of infection.

The U.K. on Wednesday reported the highest number of COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began, with more than 78,000 new cases in the last 24 hours.

On Monday, the UK government officially confirmed the death of a person infected with the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant, raising concern for those at greater risk of developing severe COVID-19 infection.

Also Read: Unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to dampen economic recovery, WTO chief tells CNBC

Meanwhile, Pfizer and BioNTech are developing an Omicron-specific vaccination, which they aim to have ready by March. The vaccine-makers confirmed that the third dose of their COVID-19 vaccine boosted antibodies 25-fold, neutralizing the Omicron strain, while the two-dose regimen was less efficient at neutralizing the virus.

Read more: Pfizer and BioNTech lab study claim booster shot can neutralize Omicron strain

The highly contagious variant was first identified in South Africa and is rapidly spreading throughout the world. It has set foot in the U.S., India, UK, Israel, and many other EU nations. 

Read more: Dissecting the latest coronavirus variant threat — Omicron

(With inputs from CNBC)

Picture Credits: The Guardian