The World Health Organization is sounding the alarm over the rapid increase in cases due to the highly transmissible Omicron COVID-19 variant.
The WHO said that the new variant is spreading faster compared to the Delta variant that drove surges of infection in many parts of the world.
RELATED STORY: Philippines detects third Omicron case from Qatar
The WHO adds that it’s not wise to undermine the effects of Omicron and dismiss it as milder compared to Delta.
“With the numbers going up, all health systems are going to be under strain,” WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said in a briefing.
READ ON: COVID-19: Omicron variant spreads to 89 countries
“There is now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the briefing.
“And it is more likely people vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 could be infected or re-infected,” Tedros added. (TDT)
