Covid-19 cases accelerate in America driven by the Omicron variant: PAHO

Coronavirus infections in America almost doubled in the last week, boosted by the Omicron variant, reaching 6.1 million cases as of January 8, the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa Etienne.

Cases are rapidly accelerating in every corner of America, Etienne said at a press conference, and health systems face challenges as hospitalizations increase.

“Infections accelerated rapidly during the Christmas season, reaching levels of transmission never seen before during this pandemic”, assured Etienne.

“However, thank you Due to the protective power of vaccines, deaths from COVID-19 are not increasing with the current wave of infections,” he added.

Although the delta variant continues to cause new infections in the region, based on current trends, Ómicron is on its way to becoming the dominant strain in the Americas, Etienne estimated. Currently, 42 countries and dependencies of the 60 of America have detected it in their territory.

Ómicron, the most contagious variant of the coronavirus so far, has generated record daily cases in the United States and Europe as more governments around the world re-impose restrictions of mobility to curb cases.

With 62% of its population inoculated with a complete scheme, America is the region with the highest percentage of vaccination against Covid-19 . However, PAHO officials assured on Wednesday that there are still many without protection, especially minors and people with pre-existing illnesses.

Etienne asked the governments of the region to give priority to booster vaccination for health personnel, since the new wave of infections will not be “mild” and is already challenging the workforce in hospitals and clinics.

Ómicron is still a dangerous virus, warns the WHO

The Omicron variant, that infects people at a rate the world had not seen since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, “it is still a dangerous virus” even if it causes less severe symptoms, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Although Omicron ca uses less severe symptoms than delta (the dominant variant so far), it remains a dangerous virus, especially for those who are not vaccinated,” said the organization’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at a press conference.

The variant, which was first identified in southern Africa in late November 2021, it has spread rapidly around the world.

Less severe symptoms –especially for people fully vaccinated and with a booster dose– that those of the Delta variant make some think that it is a benign disease.

But “more transmission means more hospitalizations, more deaths, more people who cannot go to work, including teachers and health personnel, and more risk of another more transmissible and more deadly variant than omicron,” said the head of the institution.

“No it is a benign disease, it is a disease that we can prevent with vaccines,” said Michael Ryan, in charge of emergency situations at the WHO.

“This is not the time to give up, this is not the time to lower our guard, this is not the time to say that it is a welcome virus, no virus is welcome” , he warned.

Some think that Ómicron and its high level of transmission can replace the most dangerous variants and transform the pandemic into an endemic disease that is easy to combat.