A TOP World Health Organisation (WHO) official yesterday said the region could face a further spike in Covid-19 cases from the Omicron variant.
WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) director Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari urged countries not to underestimate the impact of the variant and to be prepared ‘for the worst-case scenario’.
He was speaking from Cairo during an online Press conference about regional Covid-19 updates and new variants.
“It’s certain that the highly infectious Omicron variant is to blame for the startling increase in cases,” said Dr Al Mandhari.
“Fifteen of the region’s 22 countries have now officially reported Omicron, and as more people become infected, we must prepare for the worst-case scenario.
“While Omicron appears to cause less severe disease compared with Delta, particularly in those who have been vaccinated, it should not be underestimated, as it continues to cause hospitalisations and deaths.
“We expect more countries in the region to report Omicron, and we must take it very seriously.”
As of January 8, nearly 17.5 million confirmed Covid-19 cases and more than 317,000 deaths have been reported in the region. A total of 206,980 new cases and 1,053 deaths were reported during the first week of 2022. This is an 89 per cent increase over the previous week, despite a 13pc decrease in deaths.
Dr Al Mandhari said WHO was drawing up a regional strategy focusing on ‘living with Covid-19’.
Dr Al Mandhari
“The virus will not be eradicated. But we can control it sufficiently to live with it, as we do with seasonal influenza and other common viruses that cause outbreaks in under-vaccinated populations,” he said.
“For the time being, our top priority is to save lives with all the tools at our disposal.”
Assuring that the situation would not last forever, he urged people to get vaccinated and follow social distancing measures. More so as cold temperatures could force people to stay indoors, where the virus has a higher chance of spreading.
“Let us build on the solidarity we saw at the start of the pandemic to ensure that all people, everywhere, are protected, in accordance with our regional vision of ‘health for all, by all’,” he added.
EMRO Infection Hazards Prevention manager Dr Abdinasir Abubakar blamed Omicron for the surge in Covid-19 cases in the GCC. “However, Gulf countries have a high rate of vaccination and hence we do not anticipate an increase in the severity of cases,” he added.
Meanwhile, EMRO Regional Emergency Director Dr Richard Brennan said the team was keeping ‘a close eye on the IHU variant’, though there is no evidence that it is more transmissible or resistant to vaccines.
On January 6, WHO announced that IHU had been identified in 12 people living in the same geographical area of southeastern France. It has been named after the IHU Mediterranean Infection Institute in Marseille.
&uuid=(email))