As the COVID-19 continues to spike in some countries, WHO said on Monday that the heavily mutated Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to spread internationally and poses a very high risk of infection surges that could have "severe consequences”. “Omicron has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerning for their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic. The overall global risk ...is assessed as very high " warned the WHO.

As the variant, first reported last week continues to spread, the organisation has urged countries to step up the vaccination of high-priority groups. The situation is "perilous and precarious" commented the WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
"The inequity that has characterized the global response has now come home to roost," told Scientist Richard Hatchett, CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a foundation that funds vaccine development. He also pointed out that Botswana and South Africa had fully vaccinated less than a quarter of their populations. The scientists had earlier warned that the transmission of virus in areas with low vaccination rates would eventually fuel its evolution at a faster rate.

"The impact on vulnerable populations would be substantial, particularly in countries with low vaccination coverage," the WHO added. "COVID-19 cases and infections are expected ... albeit in a small and predictable proportion" among the vaccinated population.

The organisation added that though more data expected in the coming weeks will help understand the “considerable uncertainties in the magnitude of immune escape potential of Omicron"