Health worker. Archival photoMOSCOW, 19 Jan. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing that after the spread of the omicron strain of coronavirus, new variations of COVID-19 may appear.
"This pandemic is far from over, and in conditions of the incredible spread of the "omicron" new options are likely to appear around the world", said Ghebreyesus.
The head of WHO noted the critical importance of monitoring and assessing the situation with new strains of coronavirus.
The immunologist announced an increase in mortality from «omicron» among babies, Gebreyesus also emphasized that although «omicron» may not, on average, be as severe as the strains that preceded it, the opinion that this is a mild disease is wrong . He pointed out that «omicron» also leads to hospitalizations and deaths. The Omicron coronavirus strain, or B.1.1.529, was found in Botswana and South Africa in November. According to experts, they can be infected by those who have been ill and vaccinated. According to the latest data, a new strain has already been identified in 110 countries, including Russia. It spreads faster than the previous «delta» variant and becomes dominant. According to the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova, the infectivity of «omicron» is three to seven times higher compared to previous strains, and the incubation period has been reduced to two to five days.
Omicron strain: how dangerous and what vaccines protect against it