World Health Organisation (WHO) has on Friday advised countries to not panic but prepare for the likely spread of COVID-19 Omicron variant. This is as scientists continue to study the variant.

Speaking in Geneva, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier emphasised that data suggesting that Omicron was highly transmissible was only preliminary.

The UN health agency also revealed that finding out more about how transmissible and dangerously the variant is would take more two weeks.

He also repeated WHO advice against blanket travel bans, with the exception of countries with health systems unable to withstand a surge in infections.

“It is much more preferred to prepare your country, your health system to possibly incoming cases because we can be pretty sure that this Omicron variant will spread around,” he said.

Lindmeier also said the Delta mutation, which has become a concern this summer, is now predominant, with over 90 percent all around the world.

“This is how this virus behaves and we will not most likely be able to keep it out of individual countries,” he said.

He also warned against unthinking reactions to reports that the variant had continued to spread.

“Let’s not get deterred right now, let us first get as much information as possible to make the correct risk assessment based on the information that we will have and then let’s move on.

“Let’s not get completely worried or confused by individual information which are all individually important, but which need to be brought together in order to assess together,” he said.

This comes as the health organization revealed that it was sending a technical surge team to South Africa’s Gauteng province to monitor Omicron and help with contact tracing, amid a spike in coronavirus reinfections.

For the seven days leading to Nov. 30, it was reported that South Africa had a 311 per cent increase in new cases when compared with the previous seven days, WHO said on Thursday.

Cases in Gauteng province, where Johannesburg is located, have also increased by 375 per cent week on week.

Hospital admissions there had risen 4.2 per cent in the past seven days from the previous week and COVID-19-related deaths in the province had risen 28.6 per cent from the previous seven days.

According to Dr Salam Gueye, WHO Regional Emergency Director for Africa, just 102 million Africans in Africa – 7.5 per cent of the continental population— are now fully vaccinated.

He lamented that more than 80 per cent of the population had not received even a single dose. This he described as a dangerously wide gap.

“The detection and timely reporting of the new variant by Botswana and South Africa has bought the world time,” said Dr Matshidiso, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

“We have a window of opportunity but must act quickly and ramp up detection and prevention measures.

“Countries must adjust their COVID-19 response and stop a surge in cases from sweeping across Africa and possibly overwhelming already-stretched health facilities,” Moeti said. (NAN)

Sunday Igboho seriously ill, kidney possibly affected —- Lawyer