The World Health Organization says that based on preliminary evidence, the new dreaded COVID-19 variant of concern ‘Omicron’ shows an increased risk of reinfection.
“Preliminary evidence suggests there may be an increased risk of reinfection with Omicron (ie, people who have previously had COVID-19 could become reinfected more easily with Omicron), as compared to other variants of concern, but information is limited. More information on this will become available in the coming days and weeks,” the WHO said in a statement.
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The WHO said that it’s not yet clear if the new variant is more transmissible compared to other variants.
“Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of specific infection with Omicron,” it said.
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The WHO is now forming an experts group to study the impact of the new variant on the COVID-19 response including vaccines.
“There is currently no information to suggest that symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those from other variants,” the WHO said. (TDT)
