COVID-19: WHO hopes worst of Omicron wave has passed but says 'pandemic nowhere near over'

Even though the 'highly mutated' Omicron is still sweeping the globe, the World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed optimism that the worst of COVID-19's newest wave has passed as cases of B.1.1.529 variant appear to have peaked in certain nations. WHO chief  Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told media in Geneva that over 18 million cases were registered last week, which prompted him to warn that the pandemic itself has not yet been over, as per the UN report.  

Although the number of COVID-19 fatalities has remained steady, the WHO is still worri.lo7ed about the impact of the Omicron variant on already overwhelmed health professionals and overcrowded healthcare systems. During the briefing, Tedros highlighted, “I remain particularly concerned about many countries that have low vaccination rates, as people are many times more at risk of severe illness and death if they’re unvaccinated."

COVID-19 pandemic is 'nowhere near over'

Despite the fact that Omicron is thought to be less severe, the WHO head believes that the notion that it is a mild illness is "inaccurate", stating that it is hurting the entire response, and costing more lives. Tedros further said that the disease is spreading "far too intensely," with many people still vulnerable and that the next several weeks are important for many countries. Therefore, the WHO head believes that the COVID-19 pandemic is "nowhere near over," and that new strains are expected to develop.

Moreover, GISAID, a worldwide system that allows free access to genomic data and was originally put up to track flu, has received over 7 million whole genome sequences from 180 nations, the UN reported. In addition to this, new vaccine compositions and formulations are being created and tested using this information to see how well they function against various strains. Despite these efforts, Tedros is worried that unless things change, the world would enter "a second and even more destructive phase" of vaccination inequities. 

Meanwhile, the United Nations-backed COVAX facility distributed the one-billion dosage of vaccination over the weekend. Tedros described heat that the COVID vaccination might be less efficient in preventing Omicron infections and transmission than they were for prior versions, "but they still are exceptionally good at preventing serious disease and death". Immunisation, he believes, is critical in preventing hospitals from being overburdened.