Concerned About The Tsunami Of COVID-19 Variant Cases, WHO Director General: Delta And Omicron Become Twin Threats

JAKARTA - The simultaneous circulation of the Delta and Omicron variants of the coronavirus created a 'tsunami of cases', World Health Organization (WHO) director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference on Wednesday.

"Delta and Omicrom are now twin threats that are increasing cases to record numbers, causing a spike in hospitalizations and deaths," Tedros said.

"I am very concerned that Omicron, which is highly contagious and spreading at the same time as Delta, is causing a tsunami of cases," he said.

Tedros repeated his call for countries to share the COVID-19 vaccine more equitably, warning that an emphasis on booster doses in rich countries could leave poor countries short of vaccines.

He said the WHO is campaigning for each country to reach its target of 70 percent vaccine coverage by mid-2022, which would help end the acute phase of the pandemic.

New Year's Eve will mark the second anniversary of China warning the WHO of 27 cases of "viral pneumonia" of unknown origin in the city of Wuhan.

To note, more than 281 million people have been reported to be infected by the new coronavirus globally and more than 5 million have died, according to a Reuters tally.