World Health Organization now warns omicron variant poses ‘very high’ risk.
The World Health Organization warned Monday that the global risk from the omicron variant is “very high” based on early evidence, and said the mutated coronavirus could cause surges with “serious consequences.”
The UN health agency’s assessment, contained in a technical document sent to member states, represented the strongest and most explicit warning from the WHO about the new version that was first identified days ago by researchers in South Africa.
It came as a growing circle of countries around the world reported cases of the variant and moved to slam their doors in an act-now-ask-questions-later approach as scientists scramble to find out what so dangerous could the mutant version be.
Japan announced that it is banning entry to all foreign visitors, joining Israel in doing so. Morocco banned all incoming flights. Other countries, including the United States and members of the European Union, have moved to ban travelers from southern Africa.
The WHO said there are “considerable uncertainties” about the omicron variant. But he said preliminary evidence raises the possibility that the variant has mutations that could help it evade an immune system response and increase its ability to spread from person to person.
“Depending on these characteristics, there could be future COVID-19 surges, which could have serious consequences, depending on a number of factors, including where the surges can occur,” he added. “The overall risk … is assessed as very high.”
The WHO emphasized that while scientists are looking for evidence to better understand this variant, countries should accelerate vaccinations as quickly as possible.
While no omicron-related deaths have been reported so far, little is known with certainty about the variant, even if it is more contagious, more likely to cause serious illness, or better able to evade vaccines. Last week, a WHO advisory panel said that people who have already had a COVID-19 attack may be more likely to be re-infected.
Spain became one of the last countries to report its first confirmed case of omicron on Monday, detected in a traveler who returned from South Africa on Sunday after stopping off in Amsterdam.
While the vast majority of reported infections worldwide have occurred in travelers arriving from abroad, the cases in Portugal and Scotland have raised fears that the variant is already spreading locally.
“Many of us might think that we are done with COVID-19. It is not finished with us, ”warned Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
Days after the variant sent a shudder through the financial world nearly two years after the pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people, markets had a mixed reaction on Monday. European stocks rallied and Wall Street opened higher, while Asian markets fell further.
US President Joe Biden called the omicron variant a cause for concern, but “not a cause for panic.” He said he is not considering any widespread lockdown in the United States and instead urged the use of masks and vaccines, even as a federal judge prevented his administration from enforcing the requirement that thousands of healthcare workers in 10 states receive the vaccine. .
The infections have underscored the difficulty of keeping the virus under control in a globalized world of air travel and open borders. Yet many countries are trying to do just that, contrary to the insistence of the WHO, which noted that border closures often have a limited effect and can wreak havoc on lives and livelihoods.
Some have argued that such restrictions can buy valuable time to analyze the new variant.
While the initial global response to COVID-19 was criticized for being slow and haphazard, the reaction to the omicron variant came quickly.
“This time the world showed that it is learning,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, praising South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. “South Africa’s analytical work and transparency and sharing of its results was essential to enable a rapid global response.”
Late last week, von der Leyen successfully lobbied the 27-nation EU to agree to ban flights from seven southern African nations, similar to what many other countries are doing.
Cases have been reported in places like Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal, where authorities identified 13 omicron infections among members of the Belenenses professional soccer team.
Today, because of the new variant, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the group is “strengthening its recommendation” for those 18 and older to receive booster injections.
“I strongly encourage the 47 million adults who are not yet vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “And also vaccinate children and adolescents in their families because a strong immunity will probably prevent serious diseases.”
Britain also reacted by expanding its COVID-19 booster program to everyone over the age of 18, making millions more eligible. Until now, booster shots were available only to those over 40 and people particularly vulnerable to the virus. The UK has reported a dozen cases of omicron.
Despite global concern, South African doctors report that patients suffer from mostly mild symptoms so far. But they warn that it is early. Also, most new cases are in people in their 20s and 30s, who generally don’t get as sick from COVID-19 as older patients.
The variant has provided further proof of what experts have been saying for a long time: that no continent will be safe until everyone is sufficiently vaccinated. The more the virus is allowed to spread, the more chances it has to mutate.
“The appearance of the omicron variant has precisely fulfilled the predictions of scientists who warned that the high transmission of the virus in areas with limited access to the vaccine would accelerate its evolution,” said Dr. Richard Hatchett, head of CEPI. , one of the founders of the UN-backed COVAX global vaccine sharing initiative.
Eric is a professional news editor, writer, and blogger for the last 10 years. He is working with NewsGater as an off-beat news editor cum writer.