GENEVA (Dispatches) - The World Health Organization has warned that the coronavirus variant Omicron was spreading at a rate not seen with previous strains and was likely present in most countries.
The discovery of Omicron was first announced in November by scientists in South Africa, which was the first to experience a surge in COVID-19 driven by the new variant.
“Seventy-seven countries have now reported cases of Omicron, and the reality is that Omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters during a media briefing in Geneva.
“Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant.”
The WHO chief also lamented that some people were dismissing Omicron as a mild variant.
“Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems.”
The discovery of Omicron triggered worries that it could cause another surge in global infections, leading many countries to impose travel restrictions on several southern African nations.
The WHO chief said the UN health agency supported giving COVID-19 vaccine boosters, as long as the distribution of shots was prioritised and fair.
“Let me be very clear: WHO is not against boosters. We’re against inequity. Our main concern is to save lives, everywhere. It’s really quite simple: The priority in every country, and globally, must be to protect the least protected, not the most protected,” he said.
Tedros said the emergence of Omicron has prompted some countries to initiate their COVID-19 booster programs for their entire adult populations despite lacking evidence for the effectiveness of boosters against the Omicron strain.

‘Omicron to Be Dominant
Variant in Europe’

On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Omicron is expected to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the 27-nation bloc by mid-January.
The head of the EU’s executive branch said the bloc is well prepared to fight Omicron with 66.6 per cent of the European population now fully vaccinated against the virus.
Von der Leyen said she is confident the EU has the “strength” and “means” to overcome the disease, although expressing her disappointment that once again year-end celebrations will be disturbed by the pandemic.
“Like many of you, I’m sad that once again this Christmas will be overshadowed by the pandemic,” Von der Leyen said.
She added that the EU is now facing a double challenge, with a massive increase of cases in recent weeks due to the Delta variant combined with the rise of Omicron, as some member countries are already confronted with a record number of infections.
“We’re seeing an increasing number of people falling ill, a greater burden on hospitals and unfortunately an increase in the number of deaths,” she said.
Von der Leyen insisted that the increase in infections remains due “almost exclusively” to the Delta variant.