The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the omicron variant is spreading at a faster rate than the known covid-19 variants. The organization has reinforced calls for continued prevention measures, even though omicron is less dangerous.
"Even if omicron is less severe its high number of cases can overwhelm health systems that are not prepared. Vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis," said, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus.
Recently, a study in South Africa, which analyzed more than 200,000 covid-19 cases, mostly of infection with the omicron variant, revealed less effectiveness of Pfizer's vaccines for the new mutation.
"Our customers with Pfizer's full vaccination had 93% fewer hospital admissions due to covid-19 when the delta variant was circulating. However, in this phase of omicron, the rate has reduced to 70%," said, Discovery Health Director, Shirley Collie.
"We're concerned that people are dismissing Omicron as mild. Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems.@DrTedros
- World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) December 14, 2021
And another study of a pill done by Pfizer on more than two thousand unvaccinated people, the pharmaceutical company guarantees that it reduces 90% of hospitalizations and deaths in at-risk cases, only when it is administered still in the first days when symptoms appear. Pfizer also says that this antiviral should also be effective against omicron.
The new variant is already in 77 countries, mostly European, where the delta variant and dominant, but it is expected that in a few weeks the number of cases with omicron will be higher.