The WHO declared Omicron as a type of concern, which was first detected in southern Africa.
Geneva:
The WHO said on Sunday that PCR tests can detect infection with Omicron, with studies looking into whether the COVID-19 variant of concern has any effect on other test types.
“Widely used PCR tests continue to detect infections, including Omicron, as we have seen with other forms of infection,” the World Health Organization said in an update known so far about the new version.
“Studies are ongoing to determine if this has any effect on other types of tests, including rapid antigen detection tests.”
The WHO on Friday declared omicrons first detected in southern Africa earlier this month as a type of concern.
The classification put Omicron in the most troubled category of COVID-19 variants along with the globally dominant Delta and its weaker rivals Alpha, Beta and Gamma.
Omicron spread across the world on Sunday, closing borders and renewing restrictions as the EU chief said governments faced a “race against time” to understand tensions.
The variant has cast doubt on global efforts to fight the pandemic over fears that it is highly contagious, forcing countries to reimpose measures that many hoped were a thing of the past.
In its update, the WHO said it is “not yet clear” whether omicrons spread more easily from person to person, or whether this type of infection causes more severe disease than other strains.
“There is currently no information to suggest that the symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those of other types,” the United Nations health agency said.
While preliminary evidence suggests that there may be an increased risk of people who have previously had covid re-infected with Omicron, information is currently limited.
The WHO said it was working to understand the potential impact of the variant on existing counter-measures, including vaccines.
As for treatment, the organization said corticosteroids and IL6 receptor blockers would still be effective for managing patients with severe COVID-19 – while other treatments would be evaluated to see if they are still effective against Omicron.
The WHO has said that it will take several weeks to come to a conclusion in the study of various aspects of the new version.
“WHO is coordinating with a large number of researchers around the world to better understand omicrons,” it said.
“More information will emerge in the coming days and weeks.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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