The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been found in 89 countries and COVID-19 cases with the variant are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission rather than infections acquired abroad, the World Health Organization stated on Saturday.
Omicron’s ‘significant growth advantage’ over the delta variation means it will likely supplant delta as the prevalent form of the virus in nations where the new variety is spreading locally, according to the World Health Organization.
Omicron is spreading rapidly, according to WHO, even in countries with high vaccination rates or where a considerable proportion of the population has recovered from COVID-1 levels of population immunity.
WHO revealed that it was unclear if the rapid increase in omicron infections is due to the variant evading existing immunity, being fundamentally more transmissible than earlier versions or a mix of both.
Other key questions about omicron remain unsolved, such as how effective each of the current COVID-19 vaccinations is against it. The health agency also stated that there was no conclusive data on how ill omicron makes COVID-19 patients.
On November 26, the WHO designated omicron as a variant of concern for the first time.
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