The World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet confirmed that the disease develops more severely when infected with the Omicron strain than with other strains of the coronavirus. The WTO stated on Sunday.  “Preliminary data show that there is a higher level of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to an increase in the number of people infected, not due to the fact that they are infected with the ‘Omicron’.”

The WHO also stated that at the moment there is no information that the symptoms of being infected with “Omicron” are different from the symptoms of being infected with other strains. It is not clear whether the new strain is more contagious than other variants of the coronavirus, including delta. According to the organization, the number of people infected with coronavirus has increased in the regions of South Africa that have suffered from the “Omicron” strain. However, there are currently no definitive results from studies that clearly show that this increase was due to a new strain, not to other factors.

It is emphasized that the available “preliminary evidence” indicates a high risk of infection with the “Omicron” strain in people who have previously been infected with the coronavirus.

In other words, people who have previously suffered from COVID-19 can easily become infected with “Omicron”, – at the same time it is noted that the information on this issue is still limited.

The WHO has confirmed that existing PCR tests are effective in detecting the “Omicron” strain.