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WHO says omicron is life threatening for unvaccinated, elderly, underlying conditions

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An ambulance transports a patient to the Cotugno Infectious Hospital’s emergency department. The hospital has become overwhelmed by the Covid-19 Omicron variant from Campania, Italy on Jan. 6, 2022.

Salvatore Laporta | KONTROLAB | LightRocket | Getty Images

Tuesday’s World Health Organization statement stated that the omicron Covid variant may cause serious illness in those who are not vaccinated or elderly.

Mike Ryan is the WHO’s director for emergency health programs. He said people without vaccination are at greater risk of an omicron infection causing severe illness and even death.

“Omicron still represents a massive threat to their life and a massive threat to their health,” Ryan said of the unvaccinated during a Q&A livestreamed on WHO’s social media channels Tuesday.

Ryan stated that people who have been vaccinated are more likely to experience mild illnesses if they develop a serious infection.

Ryan stated, “People need to seriously consider getting vaccinated.”

Maria Van Kerkhove is the technical leader for WHO’s Covid-19. She said that people over 65 and those with chronic conditions are at greater risk from developing omicronemia than other age groups.

Van Kerkhove stated that “we know that mortality rises with omicron as we age.” Data from several countries also show that those with more than one condition, such as delta or micron, are at greater risk for hospitalizations and deaths.

Van Kerkhove claimed that Covid is dying in a lower percentage of those who are affected by the wave. Also, the overall risk for severe illness and hospitalization is less than with the delta. Van Kerkhove cautioned however, that Covid is still a significant threat to human health. LessHowever, severity doesn’t necessarily mean that omicron causes only mild conditions.

Van Kerkhove stated, “It’s not just mild disease.” Van Kerkhove said, “This is very important because people still need to be hospitalized for Omicron.”

Van Kerkhove advised people to not be fatalistic or accept that they have been infected. However, she cautioned that it is still unknown what the long-term effects of being infected with omicron. Van Kerkhove advised people to get vaccinated and wear well-fitting masks, stay away from crowds, and work at home as much as possible.

Ryan stated that viral infection’s health outcomes often hinge on the person’s overall health. This includes whether or not their immune system is healthy. For example, people with diabetes are less equipped to combat the virus.

“We can definitely say that an omicron variant causes, on average, a less severe disease in any human being — but that’s on average,” Ryan said. As we speak, there are many thousands of patients in hospitals around the globe with the omicron variation. It’s very serious for them.

Van Kerkhove stated that omicron was detected in all countries with good genetic sequencing, and it is probable to be present in all of them. Omicron has become dominant worldwide, she said.

For the week ended Jan. 3, WHO recorded 15,000,000 new infections worldwide and 43,000 deaths.

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