Agencies
New Delhi, November 29:
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday warned that the risk related to Omicron – the new variant of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) – is “very high”, news agency AFP reported. The global health body said that the B.1.1.529 strain, first found in South Africa, is likely to spread internationally at a very high speed and could possibly have “severe consequences.
“Omicron has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerning for their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic,” the WHO said, as quoted by Reuters.
“The overall global risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron is assessed as very high,” it noted.
Earlier the WHO had said that it was “not yet clear” whether the newly-detected virus variant was more transmissible or causes more severe consequences compared to the previously known strains, especially the Delta variant.
Delta variant was the cause behind India’s horrifying second wave of Covid-19 pandemic.
The WHO also said that researchers in South Africa and around the world are conducting studies to better understand many aspects of Omicron and will continue to share the findings of these studies as they become available.
Currently, the Omicron variant has not been reported in India. However, two clusters from Maharashtra and Karnataka are under investigation, the government said.
