WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, at a media briefing, that the variant is likely to have a “major impact”.
He said: “Certain features of omicron, including its global spread and large number of mutations, suggest it could have a major impact on the course of the pandemic.”
Nonetheless, Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, notes that the preliminary evidence from South Africa may suggest that omicron is milder than the delta strain.
She added it is “too early to conclude” that, hence the cautious approach from many countries.
READ MORE: Omicron symptoms: Seven early symptoms to spot and why they differ from the Delta variant