Ninety-six percent of the sequences available are still Delta, and about 1.6% of sequences that have been shared in recent weeks is Omicron. We definitely see increasing growth rates of Omicron where it's being detected, and it's now been recorded in more than 106 countries to date,” Van Kerkhove said in a media briefing. Van Kerkhove said the Omicron variant is unlikely to be the last variant of concern of the pandemic. Omicron is likely not going to be the last variant of concern that you hear us speak about as well,” she said. Van Kerkhove said the virus is likely to eventually become endemic, but the world is not there yet.

Source: CNN December 23, 2021 00:01 UTC