Last Saturday marked a year since the global health body announced the Omicron variant of concern.
CAPE TOWN - The World Health Organisation estimated that at least 90% of the global population developed some level of immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.The WHO said the more transmissible omicron variant continues to cause significant mortality due to the intensity of its transmission.
Director general, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, said the number of weekly deaths reported declined slightly over the past five weeks. “More than 8,500 people lost their lives last week which is not acceptable - three years into the pandemic - when we have so many tools to prevent infections and save lives”, he said.
Ghebreyesus said the world was much closer to being able to say the emergency phase of the pandemic was over, but he warned a new variant of concern could cause significant mortality. “Gaps in surveillance, testing, sequencing, and vaccination, are continuing to create the perfect conditions for a new variant of concern to emerge. WHO continues to urge all countries to take a risk-based approach that protects, both, public health and human rights”, he said.
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