SEAR/PR/1778
New Delhi, 24 December 2021 –
Calling on people to support
measures put in place by countries in view of the new COVID-19 variant and
holiday season, the World Health Organization today said the overall threat
posed by Omicron will also depend on how people perceive risk and follow measures
to prevent and control its further spread.
“The threat from Omicron not only
depends on how transmissible the virus is, or severity of the disease it can
cause, or its impact on vaccines, but also on how people understand and
perceive its risk, and follow control measures, including public health and
social measures,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO
South-East Asia Region.
The key preventive and protective
measures for all individuals is to wear a well-fitting mask, observe physical
distancing, avoid crowds, as much as possible ventilate indoor spaces, ensure
hand hygiene and cough etiquette, get vaccinated, and continue to do it all
even after being fully vaccinated, the Regional Director said.
People must contribute towards
successful implementation of the various measures that countries have put in
place at national and sub-national levels in view of the ongoing pandemic, the
emergence of new variants and holiday and festive season, the Regional Director
said.
Omicron is spreading rapidly in
countries with high levels of population immunity and it remains uncertain to
what extent the rapid growth can be attributed to immune evasion or increased
transmissibility or a combination of both. There is still limited data on
clinical severity of Omicron variant, however, hospitalizations in UK and South
Africa continue to rise.
Increased social mixing during
holiday season and large gatherings may intensify transmission and lead to rise
in cases, which could be exponential with a more transmissible variant.
Rapid increase in case counts
risks overwhelming healthcare systems and impacting accessibility to health
care for those most in need of life saving services both for COVID-19 and
non-COVID-19 health issues.
“People’s support is critical to
curtailing spread of omicron, as also the pandemic, and has been well
demonstrated throughout the course of the pandemic,” Dr Khetrapal Singh said.
Countries must continue to engage
with communities, share evidence-based information on Omicron and other
circulating variants and potential implication for the public in a timely
manner, including what is known and what is unknown, and what is being done by
authorities.
Earlier this week, WHO
Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “an event cancelled is
better than a life cancelled…. It’s better to cancel now and celebrate later,
than to celebrate now and grieve later.”
“As individuals we must take all
possible measures to protect ourselves and also protect others,” said Dr
Khetrapal Singh.