Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – The World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe warned on January 4 that soaring Omicron cases worldwide could potentially emerge newer and more dangerous variants.
The COVID-19 variant Omicron, which has been globally spreading like a wildfire since it first appeared in South Africa in November 2021, seems to be less dangerous.
Still, the WHO Senior Emergencies Officer, Catherine Smallwood, raises concerns over how the infection rates could have other risky effects.
“The more Omicron spreads, the more it transmits and the more it replicates, the more likely it is to throw out a new variant,” Smallwood told the French news outlet AFP.
She further explained, “Omicron is lethal, it can cause death … maybe a little bit less than Delta, but who’s to say what the next variant might throw out.”
Governments around the world are seeking ways to curb the new wave of infections that are heavily affecting not only lives but also the global economy.
Europe, for instance, has recorded over 100 million cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. Last week alone, the continent recorded more than five million new cases.
“We’re in a very dangerous phase, we’re seeing infection rates rise very significantly in Western Europe, and the full impact of that is not yet clear,” Smallwood added, noting that at the individual level, the risk of hospitalization is likely reduced.
Read Also: Omicron, Winter Conditions Drive Fourth Global COVID-19 Wave
The expert stressed that a significant rise in the number of cases is “likely to generate more people with severe disease, ending up in hospital and possibly going to die.”
She further commented on Britain’s hospital crisis due to staff shortage caused by the large number of Omicron infections, noting that a similar scenario is likely to unfold in other European countries as well.
Meanwhile, in South Africa, the variant seems to be subsiding in recent weeks. Officials reported that the country is recovering from the severity and mortality hit by the Omicron variant.
Regarding Morocco, the country saw a sudden peak in COVID-19 cases in recent days. To date, it confirmed 4,299 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths.
The kingdom confirmed on January 4 the first Omicron death less than a month after announcing the first Omicron case in the country.
