WHO: We do not have enough information about the danger of Omicron

An official said today, Wednesday, that the World Health Organization does not yet have enough information about the new Omicron mutant of the Corona virus to say that it is more dangerous than the Delta mutant.

This comes nearly a month after South Africa announced the discovery of Omicron.

“We already have some data that suggests hospitalization rates are lower,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical director of the World Health Organization responsible for combating COVID-19, told reporters, but cautioned against drawing conclusions from early data.

She added: "We have not seen the mutation spread long enough in a certain group of people around the world, we mean of course the groups at risk."

She added that information about the new mutation, which was first discovered in South Africa and Hong Kong in November, is still "confused", as countries monitor the arrival and spread of the mutation.

And she continued: "We ask people to be careful, and we ask countries to be careful and to really think, especially with these holidays approaching."

And a South African study published on Wednesday reported that those infected with Omicron were much less likely to end up in hospitals than those with the delta mutant, although the study's authors said it may have been partly due to the high levels of immunity in the population there.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news