According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Omicron form of coronavirus is more transmissible than the Delta version and lowers vaccination efficacy.
After reviewing the early evidence on Omicron, the global health organisation came at this conclusion. According to AFP, the WHO stated that the new COVID-19 strain caused fewer severe symptoms.
The Omicron form produces “a decline in vaccination effectiveness against infection and transmission,” according to early studies.
“Omicron appears to have a growth advantage over Delta. It is spreading faster than the Delta variant in South Africa where Delta circulation was low, but also appears to spread more quickly than the Delta variant in other countries where the incidence of Delta is high, such as in the United Kingdom,” the WHO said in a statement after analysing the existing evidence on omicron.
The WHO said Omicron had spread to 63 countries as of December 9. Faster transmission was noted in South Africa, where Delta is less prevalent, and in Britain, where Delta is the dominant strain.
But it stressed that a lack of data meant it could not say if Omicron’s rate of transmission was because it was less prone to immune responses, higher transmissibility or a combination of both.
Early evidence suggests Omicron causes “a reduction in vaccine efficacy against infection and transmission”, the WHO said in a technical brief.
“Given the current available data, it is likely that Omicron will outpace the Delta variant where community transmission occurs,” it added.
Omicron infections have so far caused “mild” illness or asymptomatic cases, but the WHO said the data was insufficient to establish the variant’s clinical severity.
