The omicron variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 accounted for 99.2% of all cases sequenced in the latest week, according to the World Health Organization, further cementing its dominance over other variants.
In its weekly epidemiological update, the agency said that while vaccine effectiveness wanes against omicron for all disease outcomes following primary vaccination, the vaccines retain strong protection against severe disease, making it important that the unvaccinated get their shots.
“Despite a reduction in SARS-CoV-2 testing observed since the beginning of 2022 in many Member States, the COVID-19 pandemic continues with intense transmission and high levels of death primarily among unvaccinated at-risk populations,” the WHO warned in its update.
The speed with which omicron, and especially its BA.2 subvariant, have spread across the globe is not just because it’s highly infectious, but also because of the relaxation of public health and social measures in many places and a general waning of immunity following vaccination and/or prior infection, said the agency.
“The recent detection of emerging recombinants of the delta-omicron and omicron descendant lineages requires ongoing close monitoring,” said the update.
The WHO cautioned that just because hospitalizations and deaths are declining during the most recent omicron wave, data still show that unvaccinated people are at higher risk of severe disease or death from an omicron infection and should not drop their guard.
“Despite the reduction in severity, the massive increases in cases with omicron have led to large numbers of hospitalizations, putting further pressure on healthcare systems, and in some countries, similar or higher numbers of deaths when compared to previous peaks,” the update said.
Omicron can also cause long COVID, which continues to leave some patients with dire symptoms months after being infected.
