The new Covid-19 variant “Omicron” has now spread to 38 countries, across all six regions of WHO. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, told reporters that the UN health agency had not seen reports of Omicron-related deaths yet.
The WHO has also urged countries to boost healthcare capacity and vaccinate people to withstand a surge in Coronavirus cases driven by the Omicron variant.
Mike Ryan, emergencies director of WHO, said there was no proof to support a change in Coronavirus vaccines to modify them to the Omicron variant.
Meanwhile, 8,603 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in a day, with India’s tally of the pandemic infection rising to 3,46,24,360. The death toll, however, climbed to 4,70,530, with 415 fatalities reported on Saturday.
The Union Health Ministry announced that the cumulative number of Coronavirus vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 126 crore on Friday.