Shouldn’t Dismiss Omicron As Mild, Variant Appears To Be Spreading Faster, Warns WHO Official

Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, South-East Asia Region Director, World Health Organisation cautioned people to not dismiss the new variant as "mild", as it appears to be spreading faster than any other previous variant of the virus.

New Delhi: Amid rising concerns due to the spread of Omicron variant of coronavirus, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, South-East Asia Region Director, World Health Organisation (WHO), on Friday cautioned people to not dismiss the new variant as “mild”, as it appears to be spreading faster than any other previous variant of the virus.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Dr Singh said that the risk of COVID-19 remains high globally, as the emergence of variants is a reminder that the pandemic is far from over. “Based on current limited evidence, Omicron appears to be spreading fastest rate not seen with any other previous variant. Emerging data from South Africa suggest increased risk of reinfection with Omicron,” she said. 

However, she noted that more data are needed to draw firmer conclusions, as there is still limited data on clinical severity associated with Omicron. WHO Regional Director informed that more information on case severity associated with Omicron is expected in the coming weeks.

Speaking on the affect of vaccine on the new variant, Dr Singh stated that preliminary data suggest that vaccines may likely have reduced effectiveness against infections by Omicron variant. “It will take a few more weeks before there is enough evidence to fully assess vaccines’ performance against Omicron. We should not dismiss Omicron as mild. Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the number of cases could once again overwhelm health systems,” she added. 

As many as 101 cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19 so far have been detected across 11 states and Union Territories, the Central government informed on Friday. As per the WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 variant was from a specimen collected on November 9 this year. 

However, the new variant of COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on November 25. On November 26, the WHO named the variant B.1.1.529, as ‘Omicron’ and classified Omicron as a ‘variant of concern’.