The WHO has urged to cancel holiday events as the omicron variant of Covid-19 is spreading rapidly.
The highly infectious omicron variant is detected in a minimum of 89 countries and forced some nations to implement stricter containment steps over the festive season.
Omicron is currently the dominant variant of Covid-19 in the USA, accounting for almost 73% of all infections. The WHO has expressed that cases are doubled every 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday, “both policymakers and the public would have to make “difficult decisions” to return to normal.”
He added, “All of us are sick of this pandemic. All of us want to spend time with friends and family. All of us want to get back to normal. The fastest way to do this is for all of us, leaders and individuals, to make the difficult decisions that should protect ourselves and others.”
He cautioned, “An event canceled is better than a life canceled. It is better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve later.”