WHO chief scientist says Omicron 'quite infectious', must not panic


  • World
  • Friday, 03 Dec 2021

FILE PHOTO: World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan attends a press conference organised by the Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the novel coronavirus, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva Switzerland July 3, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/Pool via REUTERS

(Reuters) - The World Health Organization's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told the Reuters Next conference on Friday that while the new coronavirus variant Omicron appeared to be very transmissible, the right response was to be prepared, cautious and not panic.

The WHO has urged countries to boost healthcare capacity and vaccinate their people to fight a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant, saying travel curbs could buy time but alone were not the answer.

Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month
RM5/month

Billed as RM5/month for the 1st 6 months then RM13.90 thereafters.

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In World

Fragile pope back on the road with day trip to Venice
Haiti transitional government to vote for president on Tuesday
17th "Chinese Bridge" language competition held in Bulgaria
Portugal's government rejects paying reparations for colonial, slavery legacy
Iraq criminalises same-sex relationships with maximum 15 years in prison
Zelenskiy says Russia targeted gas facilities that secure EU supply
Chile's President Boric declares national mourning period after 3 police officers killed
Rocked by spy scandal, Germany's far-right reprises old themes at campaign launch
1st LD Writethru: 6.5-magnitude earthquake hits off western Indonesia, no tsunami alert issued
Botswana intensifies marketing strategies to attract more Chinese tourists

Others Also Read