When will the next covid version attack the world? WHO on Omicron Mutations

Hear the conversation here:

Next COVID Version

“We know a lot about this virus, but we don’t know everything. And clearly, the variants are the wild card. So we’re tracking this virus in real time as it changes. .. but this virus has a lot of room to move,” she said.

“Omicron is the latest form of concern. This will not be the last type of concern that the WHO will speak about. Next, you know, it will hopefully come, it will take some time to get there. But with the level of the intensity of the spread, there is a possibility that We’ll have other types, a lot more actually,” she said.

“That’s why we need to make sure that again we not only increase vaccination coverage, but we also take measures to reduce the spread,” she said.

In a similar session last month, Van Kerkhove explained that the next COVID variant will certainly be more contagious than Omicron’s, but the real question is whether it will be more lethal.

Omicron and its subtypes

Currently, under the umbrella of ‘Omicron’, WHO is monitoring several of the four subtypes – BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3.

Van Kerkhove said, “Ba.2 is more permeable than Ba.1, so we expect to see Ba.2 growing around the world.”

According to the UN health agency’s weekly epidemiological report released on Tuesday, the Omicron version is becoming increasingly effective – accounting for about 97 percent of all cases.

“The prevalence of the Omicron variant has increased globally and is now detected in almost all countries. Although many countries have reported an initial increase in the number of cases due to the Omicron variant, the total number is now declining. New cases from the beginning of January 2022,” it said.