Omicron Will Likely Outpace Delta Variant. Cases Doubling In 1.5 -3 Days In Areas With Local Spread: WHO

The WHO said, “There is consistent evidence that Omicron has a substantial growth advantage over Delta.

New Delhi: The World Health Organisation has said that the cases of Omicron variant were doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas where the community transmission was high, reported Reuters. The WHO released a report on Friday ‘Enhancing Readiness for Omicron (B.1.1.529): Technical Brief and Priority Actions for Member States’ in which it stated that the Omicron variant will outpace Delta variant where community transmission would be high. The new strain of the coronavirus has been detected in 89 countries. 

“Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity and it remains uncertain to what extent the observed rapid growth rate can be attributed to immune evasion, intrinsic increased transmissibility or a combination of both,” the WHO report read. 

The WHO said, “There is consistent evidence that Omicron has a substantial growth advantage over Delta. It is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant in countries with documented community transmission, with a doubling time between 1.5–3 days.”

The WHO has designated the Omicron variant, or B.1.1.529  as a variant of concern on November 26 after it was first reported by South Africa. 

According to the apex global health body has said that the overall threat posed by Omicron largely depends on how transmissible the variant is; how well vaccines and prior infection protect against infection, transmission, clinical disease and death; how virulent the variant is compared to other variants; and how populations understand these dynamics, perceive risk and follow control measures, including public health and social measures. 

It added that there was still limited data available while no peer reviewed evidence is still there regarding the efficacy or effectiveness of the vaccine for Omicron.