The most contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 appears to cause less serious illness than the world-leading Delta strain, but should not be categorized as “mild,” the World Health Organization (WHO) chief said today.
Speaking to reporters, Tentros General Manager Antanom Gebregesous also reiterated his call for greater equality worldwide in the distribution and access of vaccines.
Based on the current rate of vaccine growth, 109 countries will miss the WHO target of having 70% of the world’s population fully vaccinated by July, the Center added. This target is thought to help end the acute phase of the pandemic.
Another variant – marked IHU and first recorded in September 2021 – is among those monitored by the WHO but not widely circulated, said Maria van Kerkov, WHO technical director for COVID-19.
There are two other categories of greater importance that the WHO uses to monitor variants: https://www.who.int/en/activities/tracking-SARS-CoV-2-variants “concern variant”, including Delta and Omicron, and “interest variant”.
Speaking at the same briefing from Geneva, WHO adviser Bruce Ellward said 36 countries had not even reached 10% of vaccination coverage. Among patients with serious illness worldwide, 80% were unvaccinated, he added.
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