More evidence suggests that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus affects the upper respiratory tract, causing milder symptoms than previous variants, a World Health Organization official said today.
“We see that more and more studies indicate that Omicron infects the upper body. “Unlike the others (variants), which can cause severe pneumonia,” Abdi Mahamoud, the WHO’s director of emergency, told reporters in Geneva, stressing that this was “good news”.
However, he added that Omicron’s high transmissibility means it will become dominant in many places within weeks, posing a threat to countries where a high percentage of the population remains unvaccinated.
His observations about reduced risk of serious illness coincide with other data, including a study from South Africa, which was one of the first countries to identify Omicron.
However, Mahamoud also expressed reservations, calling South Africa a “special case” as it has a young population.
Asked if there was a need for a vaccine specifically for Omicron, Mahamoud said it was too early to say, but stressed that the decision required global coordination and should not be left to the commercial sector to decide for itself.
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