WHO Warns Omicron Yet To Peak In Many Countries, Says ‘Premature’ To Declare Victory

United Nations: Cautioning countries to ease the COVID-19 curbs slowly, the World Health Organisation on Tuesday said many countries are yet to reach their peak in cases of the highly infectious Omicron variant of the coronavirus “We are urging caution because many countries have not gone through the peak of Omicron yet. Many countries have low levels of vaccination coverage with very vulnerable individuals within their populations,” Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19 said an online briefingAlso Read – Allow Theatres To Operate At 100% Capacity: Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce Urges Bommai Govt

“And so now is not the time to lift everything all at once. We have always urged, always (be) very cautious, in applying interventions as well as lifting those interventions in a steady and in a slow way, piece by piece. Because this virus is is quite dynamic,” she added, according to news agency Reuters, Also Read – Omicron Sub-Variant Spreads More Than Original Strain: Study

The global health agency also urged countries to chart their own path out of the pandemic and not blindly follow others in relaxing measures. Also Read – Maharashtra Relaxes Covid Restrictions In 11 Districts; Pools, Theatres To Open At 50% Capacity

WHO’s emergencies chief Mike Ryan, addressing the same briefing, said he feared that political pressure might result in some countries reopening their societies prematurely, leading to unnecessary further transmissions of COVID-19 and deaths.

“I think it’s a transition phase for many countries, not every country in the same situation. Those countries who are making decisions to open up more broadly, also need to be sure of capacity to reintroduce measures, with community acceptance, if needed. So as if we open the doors quickly, you better be very well able to close it very quickly as well,” he said.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Kerkhove also voiced concern about continued increases in the COVID-19 death toll in some countries. “It’s premature for any country to surrender or declare victory,” Tedros said.