WHO has no data on Omicron's higher contagiousness

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it has no data on the potential ability of the new SARS-CoV-2 new variant, Omicron, to cause more severe disease than other coronavirus variants, Report informs, citing TASS.

"It is not yet clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease compared to infections with other variants, including Delta. Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of specific infection with Omicron," the WHO said in its Sunday's update on Omicron.

The data on the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, B.1.1.529, which was identified in the south of Africa, was put on the international database GISAID on November 22.