Pandemic nowhere near over: Dr. Tedros

(News 1st); The head of the World Health Organisation announced in a warning to world leaders that the coronavirus pandemic "is nowhere near over".

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned against the assumption that the newly dominant Omicron variant is significantly milder and has eliminated the threat posed by the virus.

The intervention comes as some European nations saw record new case numbers.

Furthermore, France reported nearly half a million new daily cases on Tuesday (18).

Besides, the Omicron variant had led to 18 million new infections across the world over the past week, Dr. Tedros said to the international reporters speaking during a news conference at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva.

Moreover, he said while the variant may manifest to be less severe on average, "the report that it is a mild disease is misleading."

"Make no mistake, Omicron is causing hospitalizations and deaths, and even the less severe cases are inundating health facilities". Dr. Tedros stated.