Geneva: The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has been identified in 171 countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said In its latest technical brief, the global health body said that Omicron is soon set to replace Delta globally as a result of its immunity evading potential. It stated that Omicron has been found to have a significant growth advantage, higher secondary attack rates, and a higher observed reproduction number compared to Delta.
"As of January 20, the Omicron variant has been identified in 171 countries. The variant has rapidly outpaced Delta in most countries, driving an upsurge of cases in all regions. Omicron has a substantial growth advantage over Delta, and it is rapidly replacing Delta globally," the brief said.
The global health body said there "is significant evidence" to show that immune evasion contributes to the rapid spread of Omicron. However, the WHO said further research is needed to better understand the relative contribution of intrinsic increased transmissibility and immune evasion in explaining transmission dynamics. Although the infection caused by the highly contagious strain is touted to be mild, the WHO said that current evidence shows that the overall risk related to Omicron remains very high and its spread in the community is much more than during previous Covid variants.