NO DATA YET ON DEATHS RELATED TO OMICRON, WHO SAYS

Wed 01 December 2021:

According to Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead at the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, the World Health Organization (WHO) does not yet have data on deaths caused by the new Omicron coronavirus strain.

“We don’t have an answer to that part yet, in terms of deaths associated with Omicron. This data is coming in daily and we will report that, but not just deaths, the clinical spectrum and disease presentation,” Van Kerkhove told the press in response to a question on the mortality rate from the new strain.

More information on the transmissibility of Omicron, as well as other details, will be released in the coming days, according to the WHO expert, who also encouraged countries with confirmed cases to share data.

So far, the WHO has received information about new cases ranging from mild to more severe, but it is too early to make any conclusions, Van Kerkhove said.

The WHO decided last week during an emergency meeting to classify the new coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa as a cause for concern due to its high number of mutations. The new strain, B.1.1.529, was given the name Omicron, which is the Greek alphabet’s 15th letter.

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