New Delhi: The World Health Organization said Omicron variant cases doubled within 1.5 to 3 days in areas with high community transmission, Reuters reported. The WHO released a report on Friday “Enhancing Readiness for Omicron (B.1.1.529): Technical Brief and Priority Actions for the Member States” in which it indicated that the Omicron variant would overtake the Delta variant where community transmission would be high. The new strain of the coronavirus has been detected in 89 countries.
“Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity and it remains unclear to what extent the observed rapid growth rate can be attributed to immune evasion, increased intrinsic transmissibility, or a combination of the two, “says the WHO report.
WHO said, “There is consistent evidence that Omicron has a substantial growth advantage over Delta. It spreads much faster than the Delta variant in countries where community transmission is documented, with a doubling time of between 1.5 and 3 days. “
The WHO designated the Omicron variant, or B.1.1.529, as a variant of concern on November 26 after it was first reported by South Africa.
According to the apex body of world health, the overall threat posed by Omicron depends largely on the degree of transmissibility of the variant; the extent to which vaccines and previous infections protect against infection, transmission, clinical disease, and death; how virulent is the variant compared to other variants; and how populations understand these dynamics, perceive risks and follow control measures, including public health and social measures.
He added that there was still limited data available while no peer-reviewed evidence is yet available regarding the efficacy or effectiveness of the vaccine for Omicron.
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