World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a press conference organized by the Association of United Nations Correspondents in Geneva (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus caused, at WHO headquarters in Geneva Switzerland on July 3, 2020.
Fabrice Coffrini | Swimming Pool | Reuters
The World Health Organization has called for the cancellation of some holiday gatherings as the Covid-19 omicron variant spreads rapidly around the world.
High infection variants have now been detected in at least 89 countries and forcing some governments to adopt more stringent containment measures during the festive period.
The World Health Organization says cases are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission. Omicron is currently the dominant variant in the United States, accounted for 73% of all infections.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said both policymakers and the public would have to make “difficult decisions” to return to normal.
“We are all sick of this pandemic. We all want to spend time with friends and family. We all want to get back to normal. The fastest way to do this is by all. we, the leaders and individuals, do he said.
“A canceled event is better than a canceled life. Better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve later.”
