“Countries will strengthen their surveillance systems”
“Focus on the vulnerable, need to accelerate vaccination”
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on the 29th that ‘Omicron’, a new mutant virus of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), is becoming a very big risk factor worldwide.
According to the AFP news agency on the same day, the WHO said, “If there is a large-scale spread of Corona 19 due to Omicron, the consequences could be serious.”
“(Omicron) is a very different mutation with a large number of mutations,” the WHO said. He added, “There is a high possibility that Omicron will spread further around the world.”
The WHO noted that “to date, no deaths have been reported related to the Omicron variant,” but noted that if the Omicron variant is more contagious than the previous variant, it could lead to a surge in the number of cases and pressure on the health system, leading to an increase in deaths. The WHO has called on countries to strengthen their surveillance systems to get a clear picture of where and how quickly Omicron is spreading. It also urged people to accelerate vaccination against COVID-19, focusing on the vulnerable.
However, he clearly opposes the travel restrictions aimed at Africa with Omicron, calling it an “attack on global solidarity.”
Earlier, the WHO announced on the 24th that it had received the first report of a mutated virus from the South African government. In South Africa, the samples collected on November 9 were analyzed for about two weeks, and as a result, the final mutation was confirmed on the 24th. Two days later, Omicron was designated as a ‘variant of concern’ (VOC).
Han Ji-hye, reporter for Donga.com onewisdom@donga.com
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