Since the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, broke out, the world is panicking. Borders are closing, new measures are instated… And yet, the World Health Organization assures this variant causes so far only “mild disease”. Nothing alarming then as to December 1, 2021.
According to the WHO, the risks of catching severe Covid-19 are lower with the omicron variant. They also reassure about the effectiveness of the vaccines currently used that is actually not cut down. This new variant, more contagious than the Delta according to the first studies, is thoroughly monitored since it was first reported in South Africa. But it is less dangerous than the Delta variant when it comes to mortality and severe disease.
The World Health Organization yet warns about “quick spread” saying most people infected by the strain only suffer from “mild” symptoms. To be sure, the scientific experts have required two weeks so “they can better grasp the impact the variant could have”. South-African doctors are also trying to be reassuring, reporting “minor” cases and even “85% of symptom-less cases”, according to a senior official from Botswana.
Covid: what we know about the Omicron variant and its symptoms
The outbreak of the Omicron variant has the planet worried, especially as no one knows yet what it actually means for the evolution of the pandemic. What are its symptoms? Is it more contagious? [Read more]