3 reasons why Omicron is spreading so quickly & easily: WHO

Jan. 10: The Omicron variant, first discovered in South Africa in November 2021, has rapidly spread to all corners of the world and has sent Covid-19 cases skyrocketing like never before. WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead and epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove explained what makes the latest variant of concern so contagious and what people can do to combat it.

Omicron is transmitted very efficiently between people due to a number of reasons, said the epidemiologist. First, its multiple mutations enable it to adhere to human cells more easily. Secondly, it is immune escape, which means people can be reinfected either if they had a previous infection or if they’ve been vaccinated. Thirdly, replication of Omicron is seen in upper respiratory tract, unlike previous variants like Delta that replicated in lower respiratory tract, lungs.

"The Omicron variant has been detected around the world. We are seeing a very sharp increase in case numbers with almost 10 million cases reported in the last 7 days." –@mvankerkhove explains why Omicron is transmitting so efficiently and how to contain the spread of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/IIjb4rBoxX

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 8, 2022

“The sheer volume of cases that we are seeing around the world is really astonishing. Even with a lower risk of hospitalisation, we’re still seeing a large number of people who need clinical care, who are hospitalised and that will overburden the system,”Maria Van Kerkhove said. “It’s really important right now that we minimise exposure so that we can minimise those case numbers so that they don’t have a knock on effect of burdening the healthcare system as well as other sectors. The countermeasures are simple: get vaccinated, observe social distancing, avoid large gatherings. Adhere to measures that keep yourself safe,” Kerkhove added.