The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta variant.
“There is now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing.
He added: “And it is more likely people vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 could be infected or re-infected.”
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WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said that the variant was “successfully evading some immune responses, meaning that the booster programmes being rolled out in many countries ought to be targeted towards people with weaker immune systems.”
WHO expert Abdi Mahamud said, that “Although we are seeing a reduction in the neutralisation antibodies, almost all data shows T-cells remain intact, that is what we really require.” (AW)
