In a connection connected Tuesday, the World Health Organization Director-General said that it was “deeply concerning” that Botswana and South Africa, wherever the caller variant was archetypal identified, were “being penalized by others for doing the close thing”.
Dozens of countries person imposed question bans connected the confederate African nations since the mutation was discovered astatine the extremity of past week.
Threat inactive unknown
Tedros said that portion it was understandable that each countries should privation to support their citizens, Omicron was inactive a mostly chartless threat.
And helium insisted that the satellite should not hide “that we are already dealing with a highly transmissible, unsafe variant – the Delta variant, which accounts for astir each cases globally”.
As scientists contention to recognize however virulent and transmissible the caller Omicron variant is, WHO is urging the usage of all available precautions to halt the spread.
“As we don't person immoderate afloat representation of this variant, arsenic agelong arsenic we don't cognize however good the existing vaccines are working…we request to usage the measures that we cognize work,” said Christian Lindmeier, WHO spokesperson, during a scheduled briefing successful Geneva on Tuesday.
These measures see “mask-wearing…ventilating a country if possible, arsenic often arsenic possible, keeping the mean manus and assemblage hygiene...We cognize these measures work”.
The WHO’s connection comes arsenic reports indicated imaginable concern voiced by the main of vaccine manufacturer, Moderna, that existing shots may not beryllium arsenic effectual against the caller variant arsenic previous ones, specified as Delta.
Mr. Lindmeier said that much clip was needed to scope a decision connected the Omicron variant: “There mightiness beryllium higher transmissibility, according to archetypal reports,” helium said, “hence we're profoundly looking. We inactive request a mates of weeks to get the details unneurotic and to cognize precisely what we're dealing with.”
On Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed a peculiar three-day gathering of the organisation’s governing assemblage successful Geneva, informing that the satellite shouldn’t request different “wake-up call” astir the dangers of COVID-19 earlier deciding to enactment to forestall further pandemics.
“Omicron’s precise emergence is different reminder that though galore of america mightiness deliberation we are done with COVID-19, it is not done with us,” helium said.
“We are surviving done a rhythm of panic and neglect. Hard-won gains could vanish successful an instant. Our astir contiguous task, therefore, is to extremity this pandemic.”
Reinforcing Tedros’s message, Mr Lindmeier pointed retired that “Omicron is not the lone variant retired there, it's present precocious connected the docket of interest. Let's not hide determination is Delta retired there. There is simply a COVID-19 pandemic, adjacent without the Omicron variant”.
Despite concerns that existing vaccines whitethorn not beryllium arsenic effectual against Omicron, the WHO spokesperson reiterated that a “high vaccination complaint successful the colonisation works, we cognize that.
“The exigency rooms...are afloat of radical with the astir percent unvaccinated. The astir terrible diseases and the astir terrible result until decease is astir often successful those unvaccinated, and that's of precocious importance.”
Mr. Lindmeier besides stressed that it should not beryllium forgotten that life-saving operations “are being postponed for months for radical who urgently request them due to the fact that of afloat exigency wards and hospitals. Let's usage each the measures we person close present until we cognize more.”
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