The first data from South Africa indicate that the variant “Omicron could cause less severe forms of the disease,” said the WHO Regional Office for Africa in a statement about the new mutation that has already been found in ten countries in Africa.
Between November 14 and December 4, the occupancy rate for hospital beds in intensive care was only 6.3%, according to the AFP news agency.
“Africa currently accounts for 46% of the nearly 1,000 Omicron cases reported by 57 countries worldwide,” the WHO office added.
The health agency highlighted the need to improve vaccination coverage on the continent, which on average remains very low: only 7.8% of Africans are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Some 73 low-income countries, more than half in Africa, will not achieve 40% coverage of their population by the end of 2021 while the richest already analyze a fourth booster injection.
The coordinator of the WHO vaccination program in Africa, Richard Mihigo, insisted that the situation “is dangerous and cannot continue.”
Despite this, he pointed out that the supply of vaccines in the continent continues to improve and that progress must be made in the “deployment” and in the administration of doses, in particular to the most vulnerable people.
Two weeks ago, the WHO warned that only one in four health workers in Africa is fully inoculated.
“Most health workers in Africa are not yet vaccinated and are sadly exposed to severe forms” of the disease, warned WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti.
Source From: Ambito
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