Omicron Variant Spreading at an Unprecedented Rate Says WHO

Yesterday, the World Health Organisation warned that the Omicron, coronavirus variant was spreading at an unprecedented rate and urged countries to act swiftly.

The Dutch primary schools were shut down early to ensure the safety of children as the new wave of infections and hospital admissions rise in Europe. "This is obviously not the joyful message we had hoped for as Christmas approaches. But it's not a surprise," Mark Rutte AC Prime Minister of the Netherlands said.

Britain had confirmed what is thought to be the world's first omicron death case on Monday but there is no evidence to show that Omicron causes any severe illness.

On November 24, 2021, the Omicron variant was flagged by South Africa, and WHO soon deemed it as a "Variant of Concern" on November 26, 2021. As many as 57 countries have seen Omicron cases as of now.

According to the WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, countries need to keep a check on the variant to collect more evidence and get a bigger picture of the situation. WHO expert Bruce Aylward strenuously warned against "jumping to a conclusion that this is a mild disease".

"We could be setting ourselves up for a very dangerous situation," he added.

Omicron Variant Spreading in Europe

Europe has become the Omicron hotspot with about sixty-two percent of the world's total COVID-19 cases.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has decided to introduce new rules on mandatory mask-wearing and daily testing to avoid isolation.

The scientists have gone ahead and stated that the true number of people affected by Omicron could be as high as two lakh per day. And with the English Premier League, the cases could increase more and more.

The Netherlands has also decided to shut down primary schools from next week and impose a night lockdown as Omicron fear rises.

Omicron Variant Spreading in India

Maharashtra alone has about twenty-eight Omicron cases, they had imposed a two-day ban on large gatherings to restrict the spread of the virus and decided to delay in opening primary schools.

Delhi has reported four new Omicron cases but with mild to moderate symptoms. One of the patients has already been discharged as well.

Other states that have recorded Omicron cases are Rajasthan, Gujrat, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Chandigarh.