Omicron cases doubling in 11/2 to 3 days in some areas: WHO

GENEVA • The Omicron coronavirus variant has been reported in 89 countries and the number of cases is doubling in 11/2 to three days in areas with community transmission, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday.

Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity, but it is unclear if this is due to the virus' ability to evade immunity, its inherent increased transmissibility or a combination of both, the WHO said in an update.

"There is still limited data on the clinical severity of Omicron," the WHO said. "More data is needed to understand the severity profile and how severity is impacted by vaccination and pre-existing immunity." It added that there is no peer-reviewed evidence on vaccine efficacy or effectiveness to date for Omicron.

The WHO warned that with cases rising so rapidly, hospitals could be overwhelmed in some places. "Hospitalisations in the UK and South Africa continue to rise, and, given rapidly increasing case counts, it is possible that many healthcare systems may become quickly overwhelmed."

Ukraine and Egypt yesterday reported the detection of the first Omicron cases in their territories.

Public health officials in the United States say it is likely to become the dominant variant in the country, following fast-moving spreads in South Africa and the United Kingdom, among other places, and could strain hospitals still struggling to contain this summer's Delta variant surge.

Preliminary data in South Africa suggests Omicron leads to milder illness than the Delta variant, which is still driving much of the current wave of infections.

But a British study released on Friday found no difference in severity between the two variants.

Either way, Omicron's extraordinary level of infectiousness means it could cause many additional deaths, the top US infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, said on Friday.

"When you have a larger number of people getting infected, the total amount of hospitalisations is going to be more. That's just simple maths," Dr Fauci told CNBC.

He also said officials are discussing whether to redefine what it means to be "fully vaccinated" to include booster shots.

Meanwhile, Paris yesterday said it was cancelling its traditional New Year fireworks as Europe braced for tighter curbs to rein in the spread of Omicron.

On Friday, Germany designated France and Denmark as high-risk zones, and said it would impose quarantine on unvaccinated travellers from its two neighbours, starting from today.

In Ireland, bars and restaurants will have to close from 8pm from today until Jan 30, Prime Minister Micheal Martin announced.

Denmark, which had the highest per capita new Covid-19 infection rate in the past week, said it would close cinemas, theatres and concert halls and restrict restaurant opening hours.

And Switzerland is also stepping up measures from tomorrow as the country battles an intense fifth wave of the virus, which has killed at least 5,335,968 people worldwide since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019.

The Dutch government was also expected to announce new measures yesterday to curb the spread of Omicron. Prime Minister Mark Rutte had earlier announced that primary schools would close earlier for the Christmas holidays.

According to media reports, a panel of experts has called for a complete lockdown of businesses, with the exception of essential retailers such as supermarkets and pharmacies.

Separately, Pfizer, one of the chief vaccine-makers, on Friday predicted that the pandemic would last until 2024 and said a lower-dose version of its vaccine for children aged two to five generated a weaker-than-expected immune response, which could delay authorisation.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS