Early data suggests it can be resistant to vaccines and is more transmissible than the Delta variant, which was first identified in India and accounts for the bulk of the world's coronavirus cases. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters the strain had been reported in 77 countries and "probably" spread to most nations undetected "at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant." But it urged countries to act swiftly to rein in transmission, protect their health systems and guard against complacency. "This news provides another potentially powerful tool in our fight against the virus, including the Omicron variant," added US President Joe Biden. Researchers called the results encouraging, though it represented a drop compared with earlier strains, underlining the threat of the coronavirus.

Source: Manila Times December 15, 2021 22:25 UTC