WHO tracking four sub-lineages of the Omicron variant of concern, including BA.2.
Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) today warned that now there has been a “very worrying” increase in deaths, in most regions of the world.
WHO said it was concerned that a narrative had taken hold in some countries that because of vaccines, and because of Omicron’s high transmissibility and lower severity, preventing transmission is no longer possible, and no longer necessary.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. More transmission means more deaths. We are not calling for any country to return to so-called lockdown. But we are calling on all countries to protect their people using every tool in the toolkit, not vaccines alone,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said here today.
Emphasising that “this virus is dangerous, and it continues to evolve before our very eyes,” Dr. Ghebreyesus said WHO is currently tracking four sub-lineages of the Omicron variant of concern, including BA.2.
“This virus will continue to evolve, which is why we call on countries to continue testing, surveillance and sequencing. We can’t fight this virus if we don’t know what it’s doing. And we must continue to work to ensure all people have access to vaccines, he said.
WHO warned that it was premature for any country either to surrender, or to declare victory. At the same time, it’s also clear that as this virus evolves, so vaccines may need to evolve.
According to WHO, variants of SARS-CoV-2 may continue to escape neutralizing antibodies induced by vaccines against prior variants. In addition, the reservoir of beta coronaviruses is large, and new crossovers to humans is likely.
“If we prepare now, the time required for large scale vaccine manufacture will be reduced and lives will be saved,” the WHO D-G stated.
– global bihari bureau
