WHO Stresses Calm Over Omicron Spread
byDaniel McCarthy/
The United Nation’s World Health Organization (WHO) is continuing to emphasize calm over panic when it comes to the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
During a speech in Geneva on Friday, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said that what the world currently knows about Omicron, including how quickly it spreads, is still based on strictly preliminary data.
The assumption continues to be that Omicron will follow a similar path to the Delta variant, which was declared a variant of concern last summer and is now the predominant variant, with 90% infection, around the world.
国家准备ο不该看blanket travel bans, Lindmeier said, instead they should prepare to withstand an expected surge in infections.
“It is much more preferred to prepare your country, your health system to possibly incoming cases because we can be pretty sure that this Omicron variant will spread around,” he said.
The best course of action right now is to take information as it comes and stay away from blanket travel bans, the WHO said.
“Let's not get deterred right now, let us first get as much information as possible to make the correct risk assessment based on the information that we will have, and then let's move on,” he said.
“Let's not get completely worried or confused by individual information which are all individually important, but which need to be brought together in order to assess together.”