World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a press briefing on Tuesday said that Omicron is spreading around the world and adding there were 18 million new Covid-19 cases reported last week.
While addressing the press, WHO Chief said that while the number of deaths remain stable for the moment, but there are concerns about the impact Omicron is having on already exhausted health workers and overburdened health systems.
He pointed out that in some countries Covid cases seem to have peaked and this gives hope that the worst of this latest wave is done with. However, he was quick to ascertain that ‘no country is out of the woods yet’. He also showed his concern for countries with low vaccination rates.
“I remain particularly concerned about many countries that have low vaccination rates, as people are many times more at risk of severe illness and death if they’re unvaccinated,” the WHO Chief said.
WHO Chief on Omicron
WHOÂ Chief said Omicron may be less severe, on average of course, but the narrative that it is mild disease is misleading.
“Make no mistake, Omicron is causing hospitalisations and deaths, and even the less severe cases are inundating health facilities,” he said.
WHO Chief Tedros said that the Omicron virus is circulating ‘far too intensely’ with many still vulnerable.
How worst of pandemic could be over
The worst of the pandemic deaths, hospitalisations and lockdowns could be over this year, said WHO Chief.
The worst can be over if huge inequities in vaccinations and medicines are addressed quickly, he added.
WHO slammed the imbalance in Covid vaccinations between rich and poor countries as a catastrophic moral failure.
Fewer than 10% of people in lower-income countries have received even one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
