Omicron Is Killing, Putting People in ICU; Not a Mild Disease: WHO Official

WHO Emergency Director, Mike Ryan, said that although the Omicron variant is "less severe as a viral infection in an individual,” it is not a mild disease.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

World Health Organization's (WHO's) Emergency Director, Mike Ryan, said on Wednesday, 12 January, that although the Omicron variant is "less severe as a viral infection in an individual,” it is not a mild disease, at press conference in Geneva, Reuters reported.

The WHO official made the statement when asked about Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s statements that the Omicron variant should be welcomed and that it could bring the end of the pandemic.

Refuting the President’s statements, the WHO official said that the virus is still putting people in hospitals, ICUs and killing them worldwide which “obviously makes very clear that this is not a mild disease.”

"There is so much we can do. This is not the time to give up, this is not the time to give in, this is not the time to declare that this is a welcome virus. No virus is welcome that kills people. Especially when that mortality and that suffering is preventable with the appropriate use of vaccination."

Mike Ryan, Emergency Director, World Health Organization

The official urged people to get vaccinated and take necessary precautions against the insidious virus.

Ryan added, "It's a vaccine-preventable disease, it's a disease that can be prevented by taking - to a greater extent - strong personal precautions to avoid infection and getting vaccinated.”

(With inputs from Reuters.)