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With COVID-19 cases rising on a global scale, the Omicron scare looming larger than ever and the threat of new variants coming up, people somehow still need a reminder that we’re still in the middle of a pandemic. On Tuesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a media briefing warned that the pandemic is far from over. And more importantly, the Omicron variant is not to be taken lightly.
In a Tweet captioned “Omicron continues to sweep the world. I remain concerned about countries with low vaccination rates, as unvaccinated people are many times more at risk of severe illness & death. I urge everyone to do their best to reduce risk of infection & help take pressure off health systems,” he also emphasised on the impact of the variant and expressed his concerns about the general idea that Omicron causes a “mild” illness.
Omicron continues to sweep the 🌍. I remain concerned about countries with low vaccination rates, as unvaccinated people are many times more at risk of severe illness & death. I urge everyone to do their best to reduce risk of infection & help take pressure off health systems. pic.twitter.com/CymL7Vxvel
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 18, 2022
“Omicron maybe be less severe on an average of course. But the narrative that it is a mild diseases misleading,” he said. He added, “Make no mistake, Omicron is causing hospitalisations and death and even the less severe cases are inundating health facilities.”
Through the course of the media briefing, he also said that there will be new variants of concern. “This pandemic is nowhere near over and with the incredible growth of Omicron globally, new variants are likely to emerge; which is why tracking and assessment remain critical,” he explained.
The bottom line here is that we still need to mask up and practice social distancing. Here’s what healthcare workers and experts from around the world are saying:
Calling omicron “mild” was one of the biggest cognitive mistakes we made. We took of our seatbelts and let down our guards.
With high transmission and reinfection rate, the burden of disease is far from being mild.
The strain on the system is significant.
— Dr Eric Levi (@DrEricLevi) January 15, 2022
I was infected with the ancestral strain and now with #Omicron. This one isn’t “mild” by any stretch of imagination. Please mask up, get the #vaccine and be safe 🙏🏻
— 𝗡𝗶𝗵𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗶 𝗠𝗗 (@nihardesai7) January 18, 2022
I think when you have 58 COVID deaths in one day across just 2 states, the “Omicron is mild” argument is pretty well done.
— Dr Tracy Westerman AM (@TracyWesterman) January 17, 2022
A month later… I’m still shaking my head how people seem suddenly surprised that stores are closed, school teachers sick, cities languishing, hospitals cancelling surgeries—all misled that #Omicon wave was going to be somehow “mild”, while ignoring exponential cases. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/Q3V8B349cD
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) January 15, 2022
Cover image for representation purposes only.
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