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WHO: Omicron reported in 57 nations, hospitalizations set to rise

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Geneva, Dec 8 (Prensa Latina) Omicron variant has been reported in 57 nations and the number of deaths and patients needing hospitalizations are likely to rise as it spreads, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

The WHO also revealed that the 212 Omicron confirmed cases in 18 European nations were people with mild or even asymptomatic symptoms.

In the last 60 days, over 99% of 900,000 Covid-19 cases analyzed by the global lab network GISAID are caused by Delta and only 713 (0.1%) by Omicron, although such figures can switch quickly.

The WHO considered this figure is considerably higher than the one reported last week as they confirmed only 14 Omicron cases, higher in number than others previously reported such as Alpha or Gamma.

The international health entity forecast that Omicron will become the dominant variant in the EU with more than 50% of cases between January and March 2022, depending on its transmissibility level.

As a worrying element, WHO pointed out Omicron high level of reinfection, that is, its capacity to infect convalescent people from Covid-19 and who developed natural antibodies against the virus.

WHO also stressed that Omicron seems to spread swiftly in a highly-immunized population such as South Africa because, although the African nation´s vaccination rate is too low (around 35%), it is believed such a level accounts for 60 and 80% of adult survivors.

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