Omicron risk remains very high: WHO

The risk level related to the Omicron variant remains very high, the World Health Organization (WHO) said late Tuesday.

In its weekly epidemiological coronavirus update, the WHO said, “Over 21 million new cases were reported, representing the highest number of weekly cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic.”

The number of new infections increased by five percent compared to the 20 percent rise registered the week before, said the health agency.

Nearly 50,000 new deaths were also reported, it added.

The report said Omicron continued to increase its dominance globally over the other variants of concern.

The WHO said that of samples collected in the last 30 days that have been sequenced and uploaded to the GISAID global science initiative, Omicron accounted for 89.1 percent.

Delta, previously the world’s dominant variant, now makes up 10.7 percent.

ARR