December 22, Reuters - The World Health Organization does not have enough data on the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus to say if it is more transmissible than the Delta variant, an official said on Wednesday. South Africa first raised the alarm about its emergence.
The WHO technical lead on COVID-19, Maria van Kerkhove, said in a briefing with media that we have some data suggesting that rates of hospitalisation are lower.
She cautioned against drawing conclusions from the early data because we have not seen this variant circulate long enough in populations around the world, especially in vulnerable populations. She said the data on the new variant, first identified in southern Africa and Hong Kong in November, was still messy as countries reported its arrival and spread.
The industry is looking at whether shots need to be tweaked to tackle the coronaviruses, as the experts at the UN meet drugmakers to discuss the best composition of COVID 19 vaccines.
The authors said that the high levels of immunity in the population may have contributed to the lack of exposure to Omicron, as a South African study showed that those with Omicron were significantly less likely to end up in hospital than those with Delta.
The WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged countries to learn from the past two years of the epidemic, calling for greater vaccine equity in the hope of ending a pandemic that has killed over 5.6 million people around the world.
As we approach the new year, we must learn the painful lessons this year has taught us. He said that the end of the COVID 19 epidemic must be reached by the year 2022.