WHO expects increase in hospitalisations, deaths from Omicron

Geneva: The World Health Organisation (WHO) told Sputnik that it expects an increase in the number of hospitalisations and fatalities related to Omicron, the new Covid-19 variant.

On Monday, the United Kingdom Health Security Agency confirmed the first Omicron-related fatality.

As the number of cases associated with the strain of concern increases globally, the WHO expects reports on the number of hospitalised cases and even deaths, a WHO statement said.

Many countries still do not have the capacity to consistently analyse all cases or deaths, so it can be difficult to provide accurate information on deaths related to a particular variant, the WHO said, adding that more information on the severity of the Omicron strain is expected in the coming weeks due to time delays between an increase in the number of cases and an increase in the number of severe cases and deaths.

To fully understand the clinical picture of those infected with the Omicron strain, additional information is needed, the WHO said, adding that countries can provide this information by sharing hospitalised patient data through the WHO clinical data platform. (UNI)