Global cases surged 20 percent in a week, and the WHO said Omikeron would not be the last variant of the coronavirus

Image source: Visual China

According to CNBC, the World Health Organization said tuesday that the COVID-19 epidemic will not end as the Ami kerong variant fades in some countries. The group warns that as the virus mutates, high infection rates around the world could lead to new variants.

"We've heard a lot of people say that Omikeron was the last variant, and after that it's over. But this is not the case, as the level of transmission of the virus around the world is very high," Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical head of COVID-19, said in an outbreak briefing in Geneva.

According to the World Health Organization, new infections worldwide increased by 20% over the past week, with the total number of reported cases approaching 19 million. But Van Kerkhove notes that no new infections reported would make the actual number much higher.

Dr Bruce Aylward, a senior WHO official, warns that high levels of transmission give the virus more opportunities to replicate and mutate, increasing the risk of new variants emerging.

"We don't fully understand the consequences of letting things go," Aylward said. "Most of what we've seen so far in areas where the spread is uncontrolled is that we're paying for the variants that emerge, and as we move forward, we have to deal with new uncertainties."

Van Kerkhove said now is not the time to relax public health measures, such as reducing mask wearing and physical distancing. She called on governments to step up these measures to better control the virus and stop future waves of infections as new variants emerge.

"If we don't do that now, we're in the next crisis," Van Kerkhove said. "We need to end the crisis that we're in right now, and we're able to do that right now," she said. So don't give up on science. Don't let go of the strategies that are working, the strategies that keep us and those we love safe. ”

Van Kerkhove is calling on governments to invest more in surveillance systems to track the mutation of the virus. "This won't be the last worrying variant," she stressed.

Last December, a team of scientists in South Africa published a small study that found that people infected with Omikejong may have enhanced immune protection against the Delta variant. A growing body of research has also found that people infected with Omicron generally don't get sick the way they do with the Delta variant. South African scientists write that enhanced immune protection and the combination of milder diseases could lead to a weakening of the virus's social devastation.

However, Dr Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser at the White House, said yesterday: "It is too early to predict whether Omikeron will be the last wave of COVID-19." ”

Speaking via video conference on the World Economic Forum's Davos agenda, Fauci said: "I hope so, but this will only happen if we don't find another variant that can circumvent the immune response of the previous variant." ”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus said new infections in some countries were peaking, giving hope that the worst of the Omicron outbreak had passed. However, Tedros said no country is out of the woods yet, warning that health care systems are still under pressure from an unprecedented wave of infections.

"I urge everyone to do their best to reduce the risk of infection so you can help reduce stress on the system," Tedros said. "Now is not the time to give up surrender."

The World Health Organization has repeatedly warned that the uneven distribution of vaccines around the world has led to lower immunization rates in developing countries, which has made large populations vulnerable to new variants. WHO has set a target for each country to vaccinate 40% of the population by the end of 2021. However, according to the World Health Organization, 92 countries have not yet achieved this goal.

"This outbreak is far from over, and new variants are likely to emerge as the Numberon variant infection grows dramatically around the world, which is why tracking and evaluation remains critical," Tedros said. ”