Very high global risk: WHO says new Omicron variant may lead to ‘future surges of COVID-19’

 The World Health Organisation on Monday said that the newly detected Omicron variant of COVID-19 posed a “very high” global risk, even as it noted that further research was needed to ascertain the danger and contagion levels of the rather mutated strain. Detected in South Africa last week, Omicron has been dubbed a Variant of Concern and is now present in 15 countries (including suspected cases).

While uncertainty remains, the new variant has a high number of mutations, including 26-32 in the spike. Some of these, the WHO wrote in a technical paper released on Monday, are concerning and ‘may be associated with immune escape potential and higher transmissibility’. The health body also did not rule out the possibility of the new variant spreading at a global level or prompting future surges. 

“Given mutations that may confer immune escape potential and possibly transmissibility advantage, the likelihood of potential further spread of Omicron at the global level is high. Depending on these characteristics, there could be future surges of COVID-19, which could have severe consequences, depending on a number of factors including where surges may take place. The overall global risk related to the new VOC Omicron is assessed as very high,” read an excerpt from the WHO paper.