WHO chief warns COVID-19 pandemic "nowhere near over"

SINGAPORE, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently refuted the narrative that the Omicron variant signals the COVID-19 mitigating into a mild disease, warning that the pandemic is far from over.

"This pandemic is nowhere near over," Tedros told reporters from the WHO's headquarters in Geneva, Singapore's Chinese-language Lianhe Zaobao paper reported on Thursday.

The Omicron variant is much more contagious than previous strains and has spread rapidly since it was first detected in southern Africa in November.

"Omicron may be less severe, on average, but the narrative that it is a mild disease is misleading," Tedros said Tuesday.

"Make no mistake: Omicron is causing hospitalizations and deaths, and even the less severe cases are inundating health facilities," he added.