The newly discovered variant of the coronavirus, omicron, poses a “very high” global risk, with peaks in the spread of COVID-19 could have “severe consequences” in some areas, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday.
In a technical recommendation to its 194 member states, the UN agency called on them to speed up the vaccination of high-priority groups and to “provide mitigation plans” to maintain basic health services.
“Omicron has an unprecedented number of peak mutations, some of which are worrying about their potential impact on the pandemic trajectory,” the recommendation quoted by Reuters said. . “
Further research is needed to better understand the potential of omicron to avoid protection against immunity caused by vaccines and previous infections, SZ said, adding that more data is expected in the coming weeks.
According to the WHO, outbreaks of infection can also be expected in those vaccinated against COVID-19, “albeit in a small and predictable proportion”, which is why it is recommended to speed up vaccination.
On Sunday, the WHO said it could not be said whether omicron was more dangerous than previous versions, as research in South Africa, where it was first identified, mainly affects young people with milder symptoms.
People wait in line for vaccination in Hong Kong – one of the countries that announced that it has found the spread of the new variant of the coronavirus
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