Omicron has been reported in 89 countries and the number of cases doubles in 1.5-3 days in community-transmitted areas.
This was announced by the WHO.
The new variant of Covid is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity, but it is unclear whether this is due to the virus's ability to evade immunity, its increased transmissibility, or a combination of both, he said. 'WHO in an update on the pandemic, reports the Guardian.
"More data is needed to understand Omicron's severity profile" and whether current vaccines are effective, he adds.
"There is still limited data on Omicron's clinical severity
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WHO said, in the latest update on the variant first discovered in South Africa in late November. "More data is needed to understand its severity profile and how severity is affected by vaccination and pre-existing immunity," adds the body, specifying that "there is still limited data available and no revised evidence on ' efficacy of the Omicron vaccine ".
WHO has warned that with cases rising so rapidly, hospitals could be overloaded in some countries.
"Hospitalizations in the UK and South Africa continue to increase, and given the rapidly increasing number of cases, it is possible that many health systems are quickly overwhelmed," he said.