The World Health Organization announced that there have been half a million deaths due to the coronavirus since the Omicron variant was detected last year. The organization expressed sorrow over this significant number, with Abdi Mahamud, Director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, describing it as "beyond tragedy," considering that these deaths occurred despite effective vaccines.
Omicron is known for being highly contagious and has become the dominant strain worldwide. Maria Van Kerkhove, another WHO official, noted that global death tolls have risen for five consecutive weeks. The WHO emphasized that while Omicron causes less severe symptoms compared to previous variants, it is still dangerous, and many subvariants have emerged since its discovery.
Mahamud stated on the organization's social media channels, "In the era of effective vaccines, half a million people are dying, it’s a real issue." He added, "Many people said that Omicron was milder, overlooking the fact that half a million people have died since its detection."
Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO's health emergencies technical team, described the number of Omicron cases as "terrifying," while also stating that the actual number of cases and deaths is likely much higher than the recorded statistics. She explained that Omicron "has surpassed all previous statistics, making them seem almost flat."
Maria pointed out that the world "is still in the middle of this pandemic… I hope we are getting closer to its end." She acknowledged that many countries "have not yet surpassed the peak of Omicron." She also expressed deep concern about the rise in deaths over several consecutive weeks, stating, "This virus is still dangerous."
The WHO is tracking four subvariants of Omicron. While subvariant BA.1 was previously dominant, BA.2 is more transmissible and is expected to result in more cases. Kerkhove noted that there is no evidence indicating that subvariant BA.2 causes more severe illness than BA.1, but she emphasized that gathering evidence is still "too early."
Mahamud stressed the difficulty of determining whether a person can be infected with both BA.1 and BA.2 simultaneously. According to estimates, the coronavirus has caused nearly 5.75 million deaths since it emerged in China in December 2019. To contain the spread of the pandemic, around 10.25 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide to date.
