The WHO executive director of the Health Emergencies Programme, Dr. Mike Ryan, has warned that “we’re not even close to the end of this pandemic.”
His grim update comes as the Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19 meets this afternoon to decide on a potential update to the current restrictions in place to slow the spread of the virus.
The public is bracing itself for a Christmas blow as much of the available information suggests that new measures for events, gatherings and hospitality are in the pipeline.
Dr. Ryan says countries across the globe are all dealing with the same concerns around the new variant and how to “protect the health system and save lives.”
Speaking on RTE’s News at One, the Irish Doctor said: “There are many governments around the world who are really looking at how they are going to suppress transmission, not only of the Omicron variant but also the Delta variant which is causing a lot of suffering and a lot of cases and causing a lot of health systems already to come under pressure.
“Given what we don’t know about Omicron yet in terms of vaccine protection, I think governments are really trying to take a precautionary approach here and make sure that we can reduce transmission to the absolute minimum in order to be able to protect the health system and save lives.”
With Christmas just one week away, many people will have plans in place to see friends and family members for celebrations over the break, but Ryan warns people must consider cancelling some of those plans.
“It’s really going to be about looking at each and every thing that you’re going to do over the holiday period, and saying ‘do I really need to do that and is that absolutely necessary?’ he said.
“Coming together as family and friends is very important, we need to stay connected with people, but I believe it can be done with a high degree of safety.
“Nothing is ever risk-free but bringing large groups of people together who are not fully vaccinated in an indoor space without adequate ventilation for a long period of time does represent a chance for spread, and particularly of the Omicron variant which is proving to be highly transmissible.”
While there is no comprehensive data on the new variant just yet, health officials have been warned that Omicron is incredibly transmissible.
The biggest concern now is figuring out the damage that can be done in a situation where both Delta and Omicron are in co-circulation.
Dr. Ryan explained: “It’s spreading extremely quickly and it’s generating a large number of cases.
“The amount of time it takes for the number of cases to double is two days or less, which means the number of cases will grow extremely rapidly.
“I think Omicron and also Delta are causing concern to officials because even if the virus is not as virulent in individual cases, you have a massive tidal wave of cases, a pressure wave of them coming through” and it will still have a significant impact on the health system.
“I think many governments really fear the double impact of a ‘co-circulation’ of Delta and Omicron and realise that their health systems are really coming close to that high-stress point.
When asked if he believed we were closer to the beginning of the pandemic than the end, the immunologist said “we saw with previous pandemics that they can take years to play out.
“I would have hoped that by now we would be in a better position than we are, but the virus is still dictating the terms of this engagement, and we will see in the coming year.
“Even if we can continue to roll out vaccines, continue to develop the second generation, third generation vaccines, and with new antivirals coming online, in the end, the virus in itself will continue to evolve.
“So, I really can’t predict where we’re going to be, but we’re certainly not at the end, and we’re not even close to the end of this pandemic.”
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