WHO: "Many Evidence Shows Omicron Symptoms Are Milder Than Delta"

Decrease in Death Toll Despite Highest Number of Confirmed Cases

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The World Health Organization (WHO) has voiced that there is increasing evidence that the symptoms of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron are relatively milder compared to previous variants such as Delta.

Abdi Mahamud, manager of the WHO COVID-19 Emergency Response Support Team, said at a press briefing on the 4th (local time), "Unlike other variants that can cause severe pneumonia, there is growing research showing that Omicron infects the upper respiratory tract," adding, "This could be good news."

Regarding the record-high number of confirmed cases in some regions while the death toll is not as high as during previous waves, he diagnosed this as a "decoupling between confirmed cases and deaths."

In fact, worldwide, 10 million people were confirmed to have COVID-19 in the past week as of the previous day, marking the highest record since the pandemic began. However, the number of deaths, which continues to decline, was about 42,480, the lowest level since late October last year.

However, concerning the recent slowdown in the spread in South Africa, where Omicron was first reported, he expressed caution, saying, "The proportion of young population is relatively high."

Mahamud expressed concern that due to Omicron's high transmissibility, it could still pose a threat in countries with low COVID-19 vaccination rates.

He said, "The problem is not the vaccine itself but the accessibility of vaccination and vulnerable groups," and added, "The best way to reduce the impact of Omicron, reported in at least 128 countries, is to equitably distribute vaccines so that each country can vaccinate more than 70% of its population by July, which is WHO's goal."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.