The World Health Organization (WHO)’s chief warned on Monday that it would be dangerous for the world to assume that the latest Covid variant Omicron would usher in the end of the pandemic’s acutest phase.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the WHO executive board that it was dangerous to assume this is the last variant that Covid will have, or that we are in the “end game.”
He said that in reality, the conditions are currently becoming ideal for even more variants to emerge.
Omicron has caused a huge surge of cases worldwide, with total cases reaching nearly 350 million. But because it has a less legal impact, coupled with the increasing presence of vaccinations, people seem to be becoming optimistic that the worst may have passed in the pandemic.
Tedros said that the world is at a critical juncture and that we must all work together globally to bring the acute phase of the Covid pandemic to a real end, and not let it drag on.
Meanwhile in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has loosened rules, and stated that the country is “moving through the Omicron wave.”
WHO’s special envoy on the virus has said that Covid still has a “long, long way” to go, and that the pandemic is still very serious, despite optimism that the end is near in Europe. Dr. David Nabarro equated it to the halfway mark on a marathon. He said that it is not yet clear how long it will take to reach the real end of the pandemic, because of how Covid throws challenges and surprises.
Nabarro criticized politicians who were saying the illness should be treated like the flu. He said that governments should not be suggesting to its people that the virus suddenly got weak. He said that Covid is a new virus, and therefore it needs to be treated as such.
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