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THE WORLD Health Organization (WHO) has warned the world that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is likely to spread internationally and pose a “very high” global risk of a spike in infections that could have “severe consequences” in some regions.
“Omicron has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerned about their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic,” the WHO said on Monday (11/29).
“The overall global risk associated with the new variant … is rated very high.”
The UN agency urged its 194 member states to speed up vaccination of high-priority groups and to anticipate an increase in the number of cases, to “ensure mitigation plans are in place” to maintain essential health services.
To date, there have been no reports of deaths related to the Omicron variant, although further research is needed to assess the ability of Omicron to survive vaccine protection and prior infection.
“Increasing cases, regardless of changes in severity, can place great demands on health care systems and can lead to increased morbidity and mortality. The impact on vulnerable populations will be enormous, especially in countries with low vaccination coverage,” the WHO said.
WHO, in its latest guidance, reiterates that countries should use a risk-based approach to adjust international travel measures in a timely manner.
“The appearance of multiple spike protein mutations in the receptor-binding domain suggests that Omicron seems to have a high probability of immune escape from antibody-mediated protection. However, the potential to evade cell-mediated immunity is more difficult to predict,” according to WHO guidelines.
Overall, there is considerable uncertainty in determining the magnitude of Omicron’s immune-fighting potential. More data is expected to be collected in the coming weeks.
“COVID-19 cases and infections are expected to occur in people who are vaccinated, although in small and predictable proportions,” the WHO said.
This variant was first reported to the WHO on November 24 from South Africa, where infections have sharply increased.
Since then, the variant has spread around the world, with new cases found in the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia, prompting even more countries to impose travel restrictions and seek to shut down.
Japan on Monday (11/29) announced plans to close its borders to foreign travelers, following a similar move by Israel. [antaranews/photo special]
