The World Health Organization reveals that the Omicron COVID-19 variants is more transmissible compared to the Delta variant and reduces the efficacy of current COVID-19 vaccines.
The discovery of the Omicron variant in South Africa prompted countries to impose restrictions to curb its spread.
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“Early evidence suggests Omicron causes a reduction in vaccine efficacy against infection and transmission,” the WHO said in a briefing on Sunday.
“Given the current available data, it is likely that Omicron will outpace the Delta variant where community transmission occurs,” it added.
Data also show that Omicron causes mild symptoms but more data will be needed to establish the variant’s severity.
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Last week Pfizer/BioNTech said three doses of their jabs were still effective against Omicron.
Moderna is also developing a separate booster shot to address the new variant. (TDT)
