Omicron could end the coronavirus pandemic, according to WHO

Although the high rates of contagion of COVID-19 caused by omicron continue to cause concern, the WHO is sending a message that this variant, which is expected to infect 60% of Europeans by March, could end the coronavirus pandemic.

In the words of the Professor of Microbiology at the University of Navarra: “probably in this sixth wave the number of infected will exceed ten million COVID-19 infections, which indicates that this sixth wave has been unstoppable”.

Little by little it can be observed that infection data are not as high as so far, this weekend there would have been 10% less contagion than 7 days ago. According to the mathematician Santiago García Cremades, “in early February we could have very low incidence data”. The bad news is that coronavirus deaths continue to be many, 210.

The main protection measures against coronavirus continue to be vaccines, especially against cases of patients with previous diseases. According to WHO, this vaccine protection for severe cases of Covid-19 decreases to 50% with the omic variant, although with the booster dose the percentage increases to 80%.

In the sixth report that WHO has updated on the omic variant of coronavirus, they explain that the new strain has already been detected in 171 countries around the globe. The fact that omicron is able to evade immunization given by vaccines or antibodies of patients who have suffered the disease has contributed to the great global transmission it has experienced.

WHO insists that the risk in the pandemic as a result of the rise of the omni-variant remains “very high” and explains that the effectiveness of vaccines is preserved mainly against serious forms of the disease, although not so much against infection.