World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that holiday gatherings over Christmas could result in a surge of COVID-19, and urged people to cancel such events in light of the new Omicron variant.
“There is now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant, and it’s more likely that people who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 could be infected or reinfected,” Ghebreyesus told reporters during a televised meeting.
“There can be no doubt that increased social mixing over the holiday period in many countries will lead to increased cases, overwhelmed health systems, and more deaths,” he said.
“All of us are sick of this pandemic. All of us want to spend time with friends and family. All of us want to get back to normal,” he said, adding that “the fastest way to do this is for all of us, leaders and individuals, to make the difficult decisions that must be made to protect ourselves and others.”
The WHO chief said that, in some cases, this could mean “canceling or delaying events,” noting that the organization itself had canceled a reception it planned to have with reporters.
“An event canceled is better than a life canceled,” he said. “It’s better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve later. None of us want to be here again in 12 months’ time.”
Ghebreyesus also noted that in his view 70 percent of the population of every country needs to be vaccinated by the middle of next year if the pandemic is to be beaten in the coming year.
Across the United States, schools, businesses, and restaurants have closed down while events have been canceled as a precautionary measure as fears surrounding the virus continue to grow.
Other countries, including France and Germany, have tightened virus-related measures and imposed travel restrictions in an effort to stem the spread of the disease.
The agency also added Bonaire, Monaco, San Marino, and Gibraltar to its “Level 4: Very High” classification. It now lists about 85 countries at its highest level, including nearly all of Europe.
Elsewhere on Monday, Ghebreyesus said that more than 3.3 million people have lost their lives to COVID-19 this year, which is more deaths than from HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis combined in 2020.