WHO calms things down with Omicron: ‘I haven’t seen any information reporting deaths’

“I have not seen any information that there have been Omicron-related deaths,” Christian Lindmeier told a regular United Nations press conference in Geneva. As more countries are tested to try and discover the new variant, he said, “we will have more cases, more information, although I hope there will be no deaths.”

The new variant, classified as of concern by the World Health Organization, was first detected in South Africa but since South African health authorities alerted the World Health Organization on November 24, Omicron infections have been observed in nearly 30 countries. On all continents. If the first infections outside South Africa are generally associated with people who have traveled to the region, the first cases of local transmission are now emerging, in the United States or Australia for example.