The World Health Organization announced Tuesday that the mutated strain of the Corona virus is spreading at an unprecedented rate and is likely to be spreading in most countries of the world, while the British government plans to vaccinate all adults in the country to face the new wave of the disease.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in a press conference that 77 countries have so far reported infections with Omicron, but the reality is that the strain is likely present in most countries even if it has not yet been detected.

He added that Omicron is spreading "at a rate we've never seen before" with any other mutant.

"We are concerned about the fact that people are treating Omicron as benign... Even if Omicron causes less serious disease, the number of cases may once again flood ill-equipped health systems."

The Director of the Health Organization warned the international community that vaccines alone will not allow any country to exit the crisis, calling for the use of all available means to combat Corona, foremost of which is the placement of masks, regular ventilation of closed halls and respect for social separation.


Britain .. faces Omicron with vaccination

In the United Kingdom, the vaccination centers against Corona witnessed long queues for citizens to obtain the third booster dose of the Corona vaccine.

The British government intends to vaccinate all adults in the country against the Omicron mutant before the end of the year, amid warnings of a high incidence of the new mutant.

The National Health Service has appealed to tens of thousands of volunteers to join its effort to distribute booster doses of the omicron mutant in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office has pledged to open hundreds of new adult vaccination centers with a third dose by the end of this month, and the House of Commons will vote today on Plan B for the new restrictions the government intends to impose to counter the spread of Omicron.

In a related context, British Health Minister Sajid Javid told Parliament that his country will exclude, tomorrow, Wednesday, all countries that have been added to the travel ban list linked to the Corona pandemic, given that there are now local cases of the new mutated Omicron strain of the Corona virus.

The British government added countries in southern Africa to the travel ban list at the end of November, which means that entry to the country was only available to citizens or residents who were subject to quarantine upon arrival in order to slow the spread of Omicron.


Europe fears high infections

In France, government spokesman Gabriel Attal confirmed the discovery of more than 130 cases of the Omicron mutant throughout the country.

Atal called on French citizens wishing to spend Christmas with their families, to take a test to detect the virus in advance.

In turn, the Austrian authorities lifted the strict closure restrictions that they had imposed 3 weeks ago, following the increase in infections with the Corona virus.

The level of lifting these restrictions will vary from one region to another, in which restaurants, cultural and entertainment venues will be allowed to reopen, with masks remaining mandatory in transportation and markets.

Local authorities can also ease or tighten these measures, depending on the situation in which the virus is spreading.

As for those who are not vaccinated, they should stay at home, with a few exceptions related to shopping, doctor's clinic and exercise.