WHO warns that risks posed by omicrons remain ‘very high’

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the risk posed by an omicron variable across the planet remains “extremely high”.

The warning comes at a time when infections are spreading across the world, with records of daily cases in Spain, France and the United Kingdom, as well as expressive increases in Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Bolivia.

The World Health Organization warned in a weekly epidemiological report that “the overall risk related to the new variant of Omicron’s concern remains very high”.

“Consistent evidence indicates that the omicron variant has a growth advantage over delta variableThe organization added that the period of two to three days is doubling, and rapid increases in the number of cases are noted in several countries.

The scenario has led to many countries resuming restrictions, suspending New Year’s celebrations and boosting vaccination, with first doses for unvaccinated people or booster doses for others.

The surge in cases reached Latin America and the Caribbean, where the epidemic appeared to be relatively under control for a few weeks. Currently, infections are accelerating in the region, which has accumulated 47 million infections and nearly 1.6 million deaths.

The prevalence coincides with the increase in cases of the omicron variant in Panama, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba and Ecuador.

In Argentina, cases have multiplied by six since the beginning of the month, and yesterday 33,902 new positive cases were registered, an increase of 10,000 from the day before.

Infections in Peru have doubled within a month, as the wealthy Santa Cruz region of Bolivia faces its “worst storm” since the pandemic began, Carlos Hurtado, director of epidemiology for the local government’s health department, said.

Countries in the region are trying to strengthen protection with vaccines, but also with restrictions. In Brazil, almost all state capitals have canceled New Year’s celebrations, the same measure announced by the Mexico City City Council.

Records and records in Europe

With the epidemic accelerating again, governments are trying to find a balance between controlling its spread and containing the economic damage.

The highly contagious omicron variant appears to cause fewer hospitalizations than Delta, which has been prevalent so far, according to studies in South Africa, Scotland and England.

But the data is still incomplete, and some scientists suggest that the increased number of infections could negate the advantage of a less-risky alternative.

The rapid spread of omicron “would lead to a large number of hospitalizations, particularly among the unvaccinated,” Catherine Smallwood, one of WHO’s leading experts in Europe, told AFP on Tuesday.

On the European continent, the new variant has caused record numbers of infections: nearly 180,000 in France, 129,000 in the United Kingdom, and about 100,000 in Spain. Greece and Portugal also recorded unprecedented numbers.

Reproduction causes a series of restrictions.

Finland has banned entry to unvaccinated foreign travelers.

Sweden, Denmark and Austria require non-resident travelers to show negative tests and proof of vaccination.

France will limit the validity of the health passport of people who have been vaccinated.

Germany will implement new restrictions, including limiting meetings to 10 people among the vaccinated and only two among the unvaccinated, and closing nightclubs and sporting events without fans present.

Many sports leagues have been affected by the increase in cases among athletes, from the English Premier League to the Spanish League. football, passing through the major leagues of the United States.

President of the United States of America , Joe Biden, announced that on December 31, the US government will lift travel restrictions on eight African countries (South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi) through the new alternative, which has already been widely rolled out worldwide.

US health officials have warned that rapid home tests for COVID-19 are likely to produce false negatives for omicron, which has many more mutations than previous variants.

The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 5.4 million people worldwide since December 2019, according to an AFP balance sheet based on official sources, but the World Health Organization believes the actual number may be between two and three times that.