London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Cancel your holiday plans, urges WHO, to stop Omicron Covid variant spread

Cancel your holiday plans, urges WHO, to stop Omicron Covid variant spread

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, at a news briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, on 20 December 2021 called on countries and individuals to postpone or cancel holiday plans to try to stop the global spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.

"An event cancelled is better than a life cancelled," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday at a briefing in Geneva.

Tedros said evidence shows that the Omicron variant is "spreading significantly faster" than the previous dominant version, Delta, and “it is more likely people vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 could be infected or re-infected”.



Cancel now, celebrate later

Holiday festivities will lead to "increased cases, overwhelmed health systems and more deaths", warned Tedros, urging leaders and individuals to cancel or delay events and planned gatherings.

"It's better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve later," he said.

A number of countries have put in place measures to try to slow the spread of the variant

France has not imposed lockdowns, as its neighbours, The Netherlands have done, but it has imposed travel restrictions, and Paris and other cities have cancelled public New Year’s celebrations.

Omicron is now dominant in the United States, and Americans are advised not to travel to more than 80 countries, including almost all of Europe.



More infectious than Delta

The WHO also said it would be "unwise" to conclude from early evidence that Omicron was a milder variant than Delta.

The statements echo the findings in a study published last week by the Imperial College London showing the risk of reinfection from Omicron is more than five times higher than Delta, and has shown no sign of being milder.

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told the briefing Monday that the new variant is successfully evading some immune responses, meaning that vaccine booster programmes being rolled out in many countries ought to be targeted towards people with weaker immune systems.



Hope for the future?

Amidst the bleak reporting, the WHO also said second- and third- generation vaccines, and the development of treatments and other innovations could provide hope that the pandemic can eventually be brought under control.

Mike Ryan, the WHO's top emergency expert, told the briefing that the organization hopes “to consign this disease to a relatively mild disease that is easily prevented, that is easily treated".

"If we can keep virus transmission to minimum,” he said, “then we can bring the pandemic to an end."
Comments

Oh ya 4 year ago
Be afraid be very afraid but please go get the death shot so Gates, can get his world de population he wants. Stretch this guy's neck also at Nuremberg 2.0
mike 4 year ago
The drug dealer from the middle age is talking.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×