Omicron poses too much global risk, world must be prepared, warns WHO

There have been no deaths associated with Omicron so far, although further research is needed to assess its potential to evade protection against immunity induced by vaccines and previous infections, it said.

In anticipation of a rise in the number of case spreads, as first reported last week, the United Nations agency has urged its 194 member states to plan plans to accelerate vaccination of high-priority groups and maintain health services. urged to ensure

“Omicrons have an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are related to their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic,” the WHO said.

“The overall global risk … has been heavily assessed related to the new version.”

The Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, sounded the alarm at the start of a gathering of health ministers that is expected to start talks on an international agreement to prevent future pandemics.

“The emergence of the highly mutated Omicron variant underscores how dangerous and precarious our situation is,” Tedros said. “Omicron demonstrates why the world needs a new agreement on pandemics: Our current system prevents countries from alerting others to the dangers that will inevitably land on their shores.”

The new global deal, expected by May 2024, will cover issues such as sharing of data and genome sequences of emerging viruses and any potential vaccines derived from the research.

‘Heavy demands’

Omicron was first reported on 24 November from South Africa, where infections have increased rapidly.

It has since spread to more than a dozen countries, many of which have imposed travel restrictions to try to lock themselves in. Japan joined Israel on Monday and said it would close its borders to foreigners.

The WHO reiterated that, for further advice, countries should use a “risk-based approach to timely adjust international travel measures”, while acknowledging that the increase in coronavirus cases could lead to high morbidity and There may be mortality.

“The impact on vulnerable populations would be substantial, especially in countries with low vaccination coverage,” it added.

Meanwhile, among vaccinated individuals, “there is a potential for COVID-19 cases and infections … albeit in a small and predictable proportion”.

Overall, there were “considerable uncertainties in the magnitude of Omicron’s ability to evade immunity”, and more data were expected in the coming weeks.

This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.