Geneva-Sana
The World Health Organization (WHO) office in the Middle East announced that cases of Covid-19 increased last week in the region by 37 percent compared to the previous week, and cases increased by 186 percent.
At a press conference for the World Health Organization in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Regional Director Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari said, “Omicron can cause all forms of disease, from asymptomatic and mild infections to infections that require hospitalization to death.”
Al-Mandhari added, "The situation in the region is still worrying, as as of January 22, more than 18.2 million cases and about 320,000 deaths due to Covid 19 have been reported," warning that the burden is increasing on health care systems and care workers. This is a direct result of the new mutant omicron, which makes up the majority of new cases detected.
Al-Mandhari warned that with the sharp rise in cases, people's lives are at risk every day, stressing that Omicron can cause severe symptoms of the disease and put health systems under stress.
Al-Mandhari stressed that vaccines save lives, as most of the current infections occur to people who did not receive the vaccine, and vaccines are still very effective in protecting against infection with serious symptoms of disease, hospitalization and death, even from the Omicron mutant.
It is noteworthy that the World Health Organization recently recommended two new treatments for Covid 19, which are the rheumatoid arthritis drug called “Baricitinib” and the monoclonal antibody called “Sotrovimab.”
WHO is working with partners through the COVID-19 Accelerator Initiative to ensure that these treatments are also available to low- and middle-income countries.
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