WHO Warning – World Health Organisation (WHO) warned governments that the pandemic is nowhere near over. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus raised concerns against the assumption that the omicron variant is mild. This could lead to beliefs that the virus does not pose any threat.
Dr. Tedros stated, “the narrative that it is a mild disease is misleading.” He added, “make no mistake, Omicron is causing hospitalizations and deaths, and even the less severe cases are inundating health facilities.”
Although the variant is contagious, its symptoms are mild. The concern of Dr. Tedros is that the virus could still mutate. He emphasized the importance of recording and tracking cases. Among his concerns are countries with low vaccination rates. The risk poses to unvaccinated individuals remains high.
His announcement comes as Europe reported a spike in cases where France reached almost 500,000 cases a day. Italy records more than 200,00 cases. In the middle of the surging cases, there are demands to lift restrictions. This comes from the assumption that the omicron variant is mild.
The point that WHO would like to emphasize is the ability of the virus to mutate. Allowing it to spread freely gives it the chance to evolve into something worse. WHO warning still advises promoting basic measures like wearing masks, vaccination, and social distancing.