GENEVA — Omicron does not appear to cause more severe disease than previous Covid variants, and is “highly unlikely” to fully dodge vaccine protections, a top WHO official told AFP Tuesday. “It’s very early days, we have to be very careful how we interpret that signal.”At the same time, he said there was no sign that Omicron could fully sidestep protections provided by existing Covid vaccines. Early data from South Africa indicates that the new variant is likely more transmissible than previous variants, Ryan said, adding that this was not a surprise. “When any new variant emerges, it will tend to be more transmissible, because it’s got to compete with previous variants,” he said. “There is some evidence to suggest that reinfection with Omicron is more common than it was with previous waves or previous variants,” Ryan said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 08, 2021 08:12 UTC