Still ‘not clear’ whether Omicron COVID variant is more transmissible or more severe than Delta: WHO

UMERADIO
Nov 29, 2021
1 min read

November 29, 2021

(United Nations News) The World Health Organization published on Sunday an update on the science regarding the new coronavirus variant Omicron which is causing global concern and sparking increasing flight bans on Southern African countries.

The experts of the UN health agency said researchers in South Africa and around the world are currently conducting studies to better understand the aspects of Omicron, but as of right now, it is not clear whether it is more transmissible compared to other variants, including Delta.

“The number of people testing positive has risen in areas of South Africa affected by this variant, but epidemiologic studies are underway to understand if it is because of Omicron or other factors”, WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) explained in a statement.

The Group also highlighted that it is not clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease compared to infections with other variants.