US President Joe Biden warned of a “winter of catastrophic illness and death” for individuals who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19,as the G7 dubbed the Omicron version the biggest threat to global public health.
The harsh statements came as the UK experienced over 88,000 Covid-19 infections, a second straight day high, causing France to apply “dramatic” new travel restrictions to the UK.
Highly altered variety of the virus
Scientists are unsure how deadly the highly altered Omicron variety is, but preliminary evidence suggests it is more vaccine resistant and transmissible than the Delta variant.
The World Health Organization announced earlier this week that the strain has been reported in 77 countries and has “probably” spread undetected to the majority of countries at a faster rate than any previous viral variety.
To combat Omicron, countries around the world have been advising against international travel while tightening domestic restrictions and strengthening vaccine efforts.
‘Biggest current threat to global public health’
The G7 declared the variation the “biggest current threat to global public health” on Thursday, stating that its appearance made it “more necessary than ever” for countries to work together and share data.
According to a statement, the countries’ health ministers stressed the “growing relevance of booster campaigns and frequent testing” at a conference hosted by group chair Britain.
Biden’s winter warning came as he urged Americans who have already had two vaccinations to seek boosters, as well as vaccine sceptics to be vaccinated.
“The only real protection is to get your vaccine,” he stated, with the White House stating that the government would instead focus on immunisation rather than taking specific restriction measures.
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