The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in 89 international locations and is spreading quickly even in locations with excessive ranges of inhabitants immunity, the World Well being Group stated Saturday.
The variety of COVID-19 instances involving omicron is doubling each 1.5 to three days in international locations the place there may be neighborhood transmission of the variant and never simply individuals who had been contaminated overseas, WHO stated.
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Omicron’s “substantial progress benefit” over the delta variant means it’s prone to quickly overtake delta because the dominant variant in these international locations, the U.N. well being company stated.
It stays unclear if the speedy progress of omicron instances is as a result of the variant evades current immunity, is inherently extra transmissible than earlier variants, or a mixture of each, WHO stated.
Different main questions on omicron stay unanswered, together with how efficient every of the prevailing COVID-19 vaccines are towards it. Conclusive information additionally doesn’t exist but on how in poor health omicron makes COVID-19 sufferers, the well being company stated.
WHO first labeled omicron a variant of concern on Nov. 26.
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