WHO Chief warns people about Omicron, says “Omicron is hospitalizing and killing people, not mild”

With the sudden rise in cases of Omicron as well as Corona worldwide, World Health Organization’s (WHO) Chief director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday warned people about the disease. During a press conference, Tedros said that, “While Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those who are vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as mild.”

Tedros further explained that "Just like previous variants, Omicron is hospitalizing people and it is killing people. In fact, the tsunami of cases is so ‘huge and quick’, that it is overwhelming health systems around the world."

According to AFP, more than 9.5 million new Covid-19 cases were reported to the WHO last week. The cases increased by 71% as compared to the week before. Tedros also added that the numbers of cases are underestimated as there were no or very less Covid tests during Christmas-New Year holidays. But the holiday season has definitely given a boom in the rise of Covid cases.

Meanwhile, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove requested people across the globe to put more purpose while following Covid-19 protocols. Furthermore she added in a Press briefing that, ‘Do everything that we have been advising better, more comprehensively, more purposefully. We need people to hang in there and really fight’.