WHO's technical lead on COVID-19, Maria van Kerkhove said, we do have some data suggesting that rates of hospitalization are lower. But she cautioned against drawing conclusions from the early data because we have not seen this variant circulate long enough in populations around the world, certainly in vulnerable populations.
She said the data on the new variant, first identified in southern Africa and Hong Kong in November, was still messy as countries reported its arrival and spread.
A South African study suggested that those infected with Omicron were significantly less likely to end up in the hospital than those with Delta.
WHO's European head Hans Kluge said, Omicron will become the dominant coronavirus variant in Europe by the start of next year and three to four weeks is needed to determine the severity of the COVID-19 it causes. He has warned countries to brace for a significant surge in cases.
He said, Omicron, already dominant in Britain, Denmark, and Portugal, was likely to be the main coronavirus strain in Europe in a couple of weeks. The WHO Regional Director for Europe added that infections were up 40% from a year ago and Omicron was now taking over.
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