Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 21 Dec 2021, 04:48 am Print

Image: Pixabay
London: A former member of the Sage scientific group which advises the UK government has warned that the rate at which Omicron variant spreads is more concerning than the severity of it.
Jeremy Farrar of the Wellcome Trust tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme Omicron is spreading "unbelievably fast" and transmission is "eyewateringly high".
His personal view is that society "can wait until there are more restrictions formally placed".
Meanwhile, A man living in Texas is believed to be the first victim to died from Omicron variant of Covid-19 in the US, the media reported on Monday.
"A man in his 50s from the eastern portion of Harris County who was not vaccinated (has died)," Judge Lina Hidalgo tweeted. The victim had an underlying health condition, she added.
Reports from ABC News and Fox News said this is believed to be the first recorded Omicron-related death in the US.
Omicron accounts for 73.2 percent of new cases across the country in the week that ended on Dec 18, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
(Reporting by Xinhua/UNI)
- New study shows chronic disease deaths are declining globally but progress is slowing
- WHO says cholera kills more people for second consecutive year
- Experts feel that overweight and obesity are rising across all ages in India
- WHO says more than 720,000 people commit suicide every year
- UNICEF report shows obesity has surpassed underweight