Misinformation Regarding Omicron, Says WHO
It has been reported that some misinformation has been spreading about COVID and Omicron that is causing confusion among many people, the WHO noted
There are many ‘misinformations’ brewing around the virus that are causing a lot of confusion among people, the World Health Organization (WHO) said as Omicron BA.2 is causing unprecedented levels of COVID infections globally. According to the warning, global new infections rose by 8% last week, compared with the previous week.
There is misinformation…
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s vice director for communication, noted earlier this week that there’s a lot of misinformation out there. Among them is the idea that Omicron is a mild illness. That a pandemic has ended is another misconception. We are under the misperception that this is the last variant we will have to deal with. There is a lot of confusion caused by this misconception.
There has been no calming of the virus
As for the continued movement of the virus, WHO’s Mike Ryan pointed out that the virus hasn’t been well-established yet into a purely seasonal or predictable pattern. It’s on the move easily, and since vaccination doesn’t always protect against infection, the disease will likely continue to spread globally.”
There will be high levels sometimes and then they will move and be lower again, moving to another area where immunity is waning. As the virus spreads, pockets of susceptibility are created, and we will survive on these pockets for months until another pocket opens
.
It is this way that viruses work. After they establish themselves in a community, they will quickly move to another community that has no protection.”
There was an 8% increase in COVID infections
According to WHO’s weekly report on the pandemic, there were more than 11 million new COVID-19 infections last week – an 8% increase – and 43,000 new deaths. Since the beginning of September, the number of COVID-19 deaths has been decreasing.
Western Pacific and Africa had the greatest increase in infections, where infection rates grew by 29% and 12%, respectively. Other parts of the world showed more than 20% reduction in cases, including the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. Approximately 2% more cases were reported in Europe than in other regions.
The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concern over misinformation circulating about the COVID-19 pandemic on Saturday, saying that several factors, including misinformation, have contributed to the recent spike in cases around the world.
According to WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, Maria Van Kerkhove, misinformation such as the pandemic is over, that Omicron is mild, and that it is the last variant of COVID-19 are causing many misunderstandings and fostering the spread of the virus.
Kerkhove told reporters that there is a lot of misinformation available on the Internet, causing confusion. “The misinformation is that Omicron is mild. The misinformation is that the pandemic is over. The misinformation is that this is the last variant that we will have to deal with. This is very confusing,” she added.
In a statement emphasizing the importance of vaccination, WHO top official Paul Craig Roberts said that COVID-19 vaccines remain extremely effective at preventing severe disease and death, including those caused by Omicron.
According to Ms Kerkhove, the BA.2 variant has been the most transmissible to date. She added, “At population levels, there has not been a marked difference in BA.2 severity relative to BA.1. However, with large numbers of cases, you’ll see an increase in hospitalizations, which is translated into more deaths”.
Compared to last week, global new infections were up 8 percent. There were 11 million new cases worldwide. There was the largest increase in the WHO’s Western Pacific region, which includes South Korea and China, where cases jumped by 25 per cent and deaths by 27 per cent.
In recent weeks, a number of experts have expressed concerns that Europe is facing another Coronavirus outbreak. Cases have been reported from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom since mid-March.
The spread of COVID-19 cases in foreign countries coincides with an increase in the amount of misinformation related to this disease. A World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Saturday that there is a lot of misinformation surrounding the virus that is leading to confusion among many people, noting that people shouldn’t ignore it.
According to WHO COVID-19 Technical Lead Maria Van Kerkhove during a press briefing on Saturday, the internet is filled with approximately a million pieces of misinformation. Testing decreased globally last week, with an 8% increase in the number of cases detected. A significant reduction in testing happened around the world, but more than 11 million cases were reported. Amidst this explosive growth, WHO flagged misinformation pertaining to the current COVID-19 variant.
Likewise, infectious disease epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove pointed out there is a large amount of misinformation about Omicron that is spreading around the web. Kerkhove specifically highlighted three major misconceptions about the current variant, Omicron.
In her statement, Maria Van Kerkhove clarified that “the misinformation that Omicron is mild, the misinformation that the pandemic is over, and the misinformation that this is the last variant we will need to worry about.”
According to her, misinformation such as Omicron is mild, the pandemic is over, and Omicron is the last variant are making people very confused.
The number of cases worldwide increased by 8%
In reference to the vaccines, Maria Van Kerkhove stated, “COVID-19 vaccines remain extremely effective at preventing severe disease and death, including Omicron.” However, she stated that worldwide COVID-19 testing rates are down. ” Since Omicron testing is being reduced, our ability to track the company is compromised. We can’t sequence those who aren’t being tested,” Kirkhove said.
Nevertheless, Omicron has been transmitting around the globe at a very high level. It is likely that Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 sublineages exist, BA.2 is more transmissible and this is the most transmissible variant we have seen to date of the SARS-COV2 virus,” Kerkhove explains. She warns that with an increase in cases “you will see an increase in hospitalizations, which has resulted in higher deaths…”. The highest numbers occurred in people who hadn’t been vaccinated or who were partially vaccinated.”
In the same briefing, a WHO official told participants that Microbium would find pockets of susceptibility & would survive in those pockets for months & months until another pocket opened up.
In China, the surge continues
The province of Hebei on Saturday reported the death of two people affected by COVID-19, the first since January 2021, after a surge in the number of cases of the coronavirus prompted authorities to reconsider relaxing the much-criticised “dynamic zero-COVID” policy of limiting international travel to combat the latest outbreak. China’s recent surge in cases was the highest in nearly two years in the country, debunking official claims that the country was one of the most effective countries in containing COVID-19.
15 provincial-level regions reported cases of the virus on Saturday, and the number of cases continues to rise in Jilin province, which reported 1,674 cases.
edited and proofread by nikita sharma
