WHO expects surge in number of hospitalizations, deaths due to Omicron COVID variant

Amid the rising cases of the Omicron variant of the COVID, the World Health Organization has issued a statement noting that it expects a steep surge in the number of hospitalisations and death cases related to the new detected hyper-contagious strain. Earlier, WHO designated Omicron as a "variant of concern." The UN Health Agency said, "as case numbers linked to a variant of concern increase globally, we expect the number of hospitalised cases and even deaths to be reported."

Due to the lack of data about the new variant, experts have not been able to understand much about the genetics of the virus. The UN health agency stated that "health experts need more information to fully understand the clinical picture of those infected with Omicron," reported ANI, citing Sputnik. Meanwhile, WHO has also asked countries to help in understanding the new strain by sharing the collected data through the WHO COVID-19 Clinical Data Platform.

A week ago, the UN health agency revealed the features of Omicron, including its impact on the prevailing pandemic, the extent to which it will spread, and the number of mutations in the newfound strain. Earlier, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, had highlighted that "A consisted picture of the rapid increase in transmission", but he added that the exact rate of increase relative to other variants remains difficult to quantify. However, there are many countries that are not well equipped to study all cases or deaths, which makes it difficult to understand how to get accurate information on deaths related to a particular variant, the WHO said, adding that more information is expected in the coming days.

Omicron cases across the world and in India

First reported in South Africa, the hyper-contagious Omicron COVID variant is rapidly sweeping the world. So far, there have been more than 6400 confirmed cases of the variant detected in 70 countries, as per the report issued by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). However, health agencies across the world are trying to learn about the severity of symptoms. On Monday, the UK Health Security Agency reported the first Omicron-related fatality. Meanwhile, in India, the Omicron tally has reached 40, including two fresh Omicron cases among fully vaccinated travellers who arrived from Dubai.