Rising Omicron Cases Could Lead To More Dangerous Variants Of COVID: What WHO Said

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a fresh warning saying that the high number of Omicron cases around the world could increase the risk of the emergence of newer and more dangerous variants.

Speaking to news agency AFP, the WHO in Europe sounded alarm and said that the soaring infection rates may have opposite effects.

AFP

"Now, Omicron is lethal"

¡°The more Omicron spreads, the more it transmits and the more it replicates, the more likely it is to throw out a new variant. Now, Omicron is lethal, it can cause death ... maybe a little bit less than Delta, but who's to say what the next variant might throw out,¡± WHO senior emergencies officer Catherine Smallwood said.

Due to its less severity, the scientists are hoping that Omicron could possibly overcome the pandemic and bring life back to normal. But, according to Smallwood, more than 100 million COVID cases have been enrolled in Europe since the start of the pandemic, and more than 5 million new cases were enrolled in the last week of 2021.

ap

So far, studies have indicated that though the Omicron variant can easily bypass the immunity offered by vaccines, but the new strain is milder than the previous variants.

¡°We are at a very dangerous stage and we are seeing a very significant increase in infection rates in Western Europe, the full impact of which is not yet clear,¡± WHO senior emergencies officer Catherine Smallwood said.

IHU with 46 mutations, 37 deletions found

The warning comes at a time when French researchers have detected a new Covid 'variant', probably of Cameroonian origin, and have temporarily named it as `IHU`.

The new 'variant' from the lineage named B.1.640.2 is believed to have infected 12 people in the country, according to a yet-to-be peer-reviewed study supported by the French Government.

Indiatimes

It has 46 mutations and 37 deletions. France reported a record-smashing 271,686 daily virus cases on Tuesday as omicron infections race across the country, burdening hospital staff and threatening to disrupt transport, schools and other services.

The French government is straining to avoid a new economically damaging lockdown and is instead trying to rush a vaccine pass bill through parliament in hopes that it is enough to protect hospitals.

Meanwhile, the omicron variant accounted for 95% of new coronavirus infections last week, according to US health officials' latest estimates.

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