Tedros Ghebreyesus, director of the World Health Organization (WHO), stated that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads faster and shows milder symptoms than the Delta variant. “However, symptoms should not be categorized as mild,” said Ghebreyesus.
Janet Diaz, one of the WHO clinical directors, said that according to the first-stage studies, it was seen that the Omicron variant caused less increase in hospitalizations than Delta, which is the dominant variant in the world, and it was understood that it caused milder symptoms in both young and old.
Ghebreyesus, who held a press conference with Diaz at WHO’s headquarters in Geneva, said that the first studies were carried out in South Africa and England, where the variant was first seen:
“Although Omicron appears to cause milder symptoms than Delta, it should not be classified as ‘mild’ because Omicron also causes hospitalizations and deaths.”
The WHO Director-General, who warned of the “tsunami” for the global increase in the number of cases caused by Omicron and Delta, reminded that governments are still struggling with the pressure on health systems.
The latest data on vaccination rates were also shared at the press conference. Accordingly, 109 countries may not meet the WHO’s target of vaccinating 70 percent of the population by July. In 36 countries, even 10 percent of the population has not yet been vaccinated.
Announcing the weekly pandemic report, WHO officials said that the number of cases increased by 71 percent compared to the previous week; He also stated that deaths decreased by 10 percent.
On the other hand, countries continue to struggle with cases originating from Omicron. The increase in the number of cases in many countries puts pressure on the health system and causes events to be canceled.
In France, the number of coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours was reported as 261 thousand 481. On Wednesday, that number had risen to over 330 thousand. However, with Thursday’s picture, the average number of cases in a week exceeded 200 thousand for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
In Italy, 219 thousand 441 new cases were recorded. The number of cases, which increased by 30 thousand the previous day, broke a new record.
Norwegian cruise and travel operator Hurtigruten Group has announced that it will cut an ongoing trip to the Antarctic region short due to recorded coronavirus cases.
In the statement made by the White House in the USA, it was stated that the decision to be vaccinated for schools is up to local governments.
In Chile, the South American country announced that the fourth dose of the vaccine will be offered to people who have weakened immunity against the virus next week. This will be the first application on this subject on the continent.
In Peru, which has one of the world’s highest COVID-19 death rates per person, the pandemic alert level has been increased in some cities. The measures taken in these cities have also increased.
In the Philippines, where the number of cases reached the highest level in the last three months, President Rodrigo Duterte said that unvaccinated people will be arrested if they do not comply with stay-at-home orders.
In Iraq, the ministry of health announced that more than five cases of Omicron were detected in the country.
In Serbia, President Aleksandar Vucic said the country’s healthcare system is currently under great pressure. More than 9,000 cases were recorded in the country on Thursday, local media reported.