The Omikron variant is spreading worldwide. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urges caution, despite initial reports about a milder course: It is too early for concrete statements.
Geneva – The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has already been detected in at least 57 countries. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reported on Wednesday in Geneva.
The number of omicron infections is increasing sharply in South Africa, but it is too early to say whether the virus is spreading similarly in other regions of the world. “Omikron cases are rising rapidly in South Africa, but Omikron was discovered there when the transmission of the Delta variant was low, so there was little competition,” said Tedros.
Even the first reports that suggest that Omikron causes a milder course of the disease in South Africa should still be treated with caution. It is too early for concrete statements. Tedros called on governments to take corona protective measures seriously and implement them. “If countries wait for hospitals to fill up, it’s too late,” he warned. dpa
