WHO Warns About the Fast Spreading of Omicron Strain

With the reinforcement of anti-COVID measures around many countries and the new record of daily COVID-19 cases in France, the World Health Organization expressed its concern about a possible collapse of healthcare systems.

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The rebound in COVID-19 cases has led many countries to reinforce the restrictions, from the economic sector to the social, aimed at controlling the spread of the virus. France reported on Tuesday the highest number of cases in 24 hours since the start of the pandemic.

To contain the number of infected, the country's authorities demanded companies have employees working from home at least a few days a week. On the other hand, in the U.S., the isolation period was reduced for asymptomatic cases.

Germany established restrictions for the second year in a row, which included closing nightclubs, discos, and forced sports competitions behind closed doors. Even with a smaller number of infected per day, China continues with its "zero Covid" strategy, which demands staying at home in many parts of the city of Yan'an.

The 13 million people in the city of Xi'an and the hundreds of thousands of affected residents faced a six-day stay at home, as China battled with the highest infected daily cases ever in 21 months. Still, China's numbers are very low compared to many other industrial nations.

The Netherlands and Switzerland reported on Tuesday that the Omicron strain has become dominant in their countries, as it is a highly transmissible strain.
 
Catherine Smallwood, WHO Europe's Covid Incident Manager, said that Omicron's fast growth "will still result in large numbers of hospitalizations, particularly amongst unvaccinated groups, and cause widespread disruption to health systems and other critical services."