WHO update: Omicron in 106 nations, rising hospitalizations in S. Africa and UK, severity uncertain

Key points on the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant in today’s (Dec. 21) WHO weekly COVID-19 epidemiology update include:

• Global prevalence:

“Omicron has been confirmed in 106 countries.”

• Growth advantage over the Delta variant:

“Recent evidence indicates that Omicron variant has a growth advantage over the Delta variant and is spreading rapidly, even in countries with documented community transmission and high levels of population immunity. It remains uncertain to what extent the observed rapid growth rate can be attributed to immune evasion, intrinsic increased transmissibility, or a combination of both.”

• Severity:

“There are still limited data on the clinical severity of Omicron. Hospitalizations in the UK and South Africa continue to rise, and given rapidly increasing case numbers, it is possible that healthcare systems may become overwhelmed.” (my italics added).

• Overall new COVID-19 cases in the African Region (WHO-AFRO):

“The African Region continued to see an increase in the reported case incidence in the last month. Over 256 000 new cases were reported (an increase of 53%) as compared to the previous week, the highest number of weekly cases reported since the start of the pandemic.

Increases in incidence of over 50% were observed in nearly half (23/49; 47%) of countries in the Region. (my italics added)

The highest numbers of new cases continued to be reported from South Africa (162 987 new cases; 274.8 new cases per 100 000 population; a 50% increase) and Zimbabwe (26 671 new cases; 179.4 new cases per 100 000 population; similar to the previous week’s number), with Eswatini now reporting the third highest incidence of cases (7540 new cases; 649.9 new cases per 100 000 population; a 57% increase)."  

• Deaths in the African Region:

“The Region reported just under 500 new weekly deaths, similar to the number in the previous week. The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from South Africa (229 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000 population; a 52% increase), Mauritius (60 new deaths; 4.7 new deaths per 100 000; a 35% decrease), and Zimbabwe (47 new deaths; <1 new death per 100 000; an 81% increase)."