Omicron risk ‘very high,’ could ravage health systems:WHO

The total danger associated with the Omicron form remains very high,' posing a threat to health systems and other key services, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 

"The overall risk connected to the new variant of concern Omicron remains very high," the WHO warned in its weekly epidemiological update on Tuesday.

The announcement comes as the new Omicron variety has pushed daily Covid-19 new cases to a new high of over 510,000 in the United States. 

According to the most recent data from Johns Hopkins University, this is the largest single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began in the country.

The Omicron strain, initially discovered in southern Africa in late November, has sparked a surge of infections not seen since last winter, bringing the total number of US coronavirus cases to over 52.9 million, with over 819,000 deaths. 

Omicron's rise, according to Catherine Smallwood, WHO Europe's Covid Incident Manager, "will still result in substantial numbers of hospitalizations, particularly among unvaccinated groups, and create severe disruption to health systems and other key services."

For the second year in a row, major US cities, including New York, have reduced or cancelled New Year's Eve celebrations. 

According to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), the Omicron form caused more than 50% of infections in the Netherlands over the past week, displacing Delta as the main variant.