According to the WHO’s latest update, the Omicron deaths have crossed 500,000 globally. Their new data also reveals over 130 million cases since the identification of Omicron as a variant of concern (VOC) in November.
Omicron deaths are on the rise
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday was grieving the omicron deaths recorded since the variant’s discovery. Abdi Mahamud, WHO’s incident manager calling the toll ‘beyond tragic’ revealed over 500,000 deaths and 130 million infections seen globally since late November 2021. “In the age of effective vaccines, half a million people dying, it’s something,” stated Mahamud. “While everyone was saying Omicron is milder, (they) missed the point that half a million people have died since this was detected,” he added.
The omicron deaths are rapidly overtaking delta and becoming the most dominant variant. This is because the variant is more transmissible. However, it is also leading to a less severe illness. “It makes the previous peaks look almost flat. We’re still in the middle of this pandemic. Many countries have not passed their peak of Omicron yet. This virus continues to be dangerous,” stated Maria Van Kerkhove. She is the WHO’s technical lead on the virus. Explaining how the sheer number of Omicron deaths and cases were ‘astounding’, she believes that the real number is higher.
Expansion of the variant
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“Nearly 68,000 new deaths reported last week- up by seven percent compared to the previous week,” revealed the WHO. The comment following their weekly covid epidemiological update. However, the report also revealed that the number of new cases per week reduced from 19.3 percent to 17 percent. The European region accounts for 58 percent of new cases and 35 percent of omicron deaths. Similarly, the Americas are accounting for 23 percent and 44 percent respectively.
Currently, the variant is present in ‘almost all countries’. Hence, the rapid global spread of Omicron can explain the pandemic. The WHO added that the VOC accounted for 96.7 percent of samples submitted and uploaded to the GISAID global science initiative. In a stark change of events, the delta is currently making up 3.3 percent of cases. “However, available estimates show reduced protection of the primary series Covid-19 vaccines against the Omicron variant for all outcomes (severe disease, symptomatic disease, and infection) than has been observed previously for other variants of concern,” explained the report. According to the report, there is very little information on vaccine efficacy against the omicron. But, booster shots are improving efficacy substantially.
