The assessment from the U.N. health agency, contained in a
technical paper issued to member states, amounted to WHO’s strongest, most
explicit warning yet about the new version that was first identified days ago
by researchers in South Africa.
It came as a widening circle of countries around the world
reported cases of the variant and moved to slam their doors shut while
scientists race to figure out just how dangerous it might be.
Japan announced it would bar entry of all foreign visitors,
joining Israel in doing so. Morocco banned all incoming flights. Other
countries, including the U.S. and members of the European Union, have moved to
prohibit travelers arriving from southern Africa.
WHO said there are “considerable uncertainties” about the
omicron variant. But it said preliminary evidence raises the possibility that
the variant has mutations that could help it both evade an immune-system
response and boost its ability to spread from one person to another.
“Depending on these characteristics, there could be future
surges of COVID-19, which could have severe consequences, depending on a number
of factors, including where surges may take place,” it added. “The overall
global risk ... is assessed as very high.”
The WHO stressed that while scientists are hunting evidence
to better understand this variant, countries should accelerate vaccinations as
quickly as possible.
If the virus proves dangerous as feared, “the impact on
vulnerable populations would be substantial, particularly in countries with low
vaccination coverage,” WHO said, noting that no deaths linked to omicron have
been reported so far.
Late last week, a key WHO advisory panel highlighted in
particular the possibility that the variant might be more likely to re-infect
people who had already had a bout with COVID-19.
Spain on Monday became one of the latest countries to report
its first confirmed case of the variant, detected in a traveler who returned
Sunday from South Africa after making a stopover in Amsterdam.
While the vast majority of infections reported around the
world have been seen in travelers arriving from abroad, cases in Portugal and
Scotland have raised fears that the variant may already be spreading locally.
“Many of us might think we are done with COVID-19. It’s not
done with us,” warned Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director-general.
Days after the variant sent a shudder through the financial
world nearly two years into the pandemic that has killed over 5 million people,
markets had mixed reactions Monday, with European stocks and oil prices
rebounding and Wall Street opening higher, while Asian markets fell further.
U.S. President Joe Biden called the omicron variant a cause
for concern but “not a cause for panic.” He said he is not considering any
widespread U.S. lockdown and instead urged mask-wearing and vaccinations, even
as a federal judge blocked his administration from enforcing a requirement that
thousands of health care workers in 10 states get the shot.
The infections have underscored the difficulty in keeping
the virus in check in a globalized world of jet travel and open borders. Yet
many countries are trying to do just that, against the urging of the WHO, which
noted that border closings often have limited effect and can wreak havoc on
lives and livelihoods.
Some argued that such restrictions could buy valuable time
to analyze the new variant. Little is known about it, including whether it is
more contagious, more likely to cause serious illness or more able to evade
vaccines.
While the initial global response to COVID-19 was criticized
as slow and haphazard, the reaction to the new variant came quickly.
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