The World Health Organization warns that more wave of new coronavirus infections will happen especially in Europe following the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
“We can see another storm coming,” Hans Kluge of the World Health Organisation’s European head said.
Kluge also warned European countries to prepare for a “significant surge” in new infections.
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Germany, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and South Korea rushed to impose new lockdowns ahead of the fast spreading 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.
The WHO adds that it’s not wise to undermine the effects of Omicron and dismiss it as milder compared to Delta.
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“With the numbers going up, all health systems are going to be under strain,” WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said in a briefing.
“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)
