WHO says combination of Omicron and Delta bringing "Tsunami of Infections"

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the combination of Delta and Omicron variant is causing a deadly wave of Covid-19 infections.

The statements of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus came as the United States and countries throughout Europe reported a surge in new cases.

For the second day in a row, France reported the highest daily figure in Europe, with 208,000 cases.

According to Johns Hopkins, the US has reported a record average of 265,427 cases each day over the last week.

Denmark, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Australia have all reported new highs.

On Wednesday, Poland recorded 794 Covid-related deaths, the largest number in the pandemic's fourth wave. Unvaccinated people made up more than three-quarters of the population.

Omicron, which has swiftly grown dominant in a number of countries, is thought to be milder than Delta, but significantly more contagious. It's thought to be the cause of the uptick in cases, with French health minister Olivier Véran telling reporters that he'd "no longer speak of a wave when it comes to Omicron," but rather a "tidal wave."

Dr. Tedros, on the other hand, warned that the "twin threat" of the two variations was to blame for the overall case load.

"This is putting enormous pressure on weary health professionals and health systems on the verge of collapsing," the WHO chief added.

According to the Reuters news agency, approximately 900,000 new cases are recorded every day around the world.

Given the size of the US population and vaccination rate, Dr. Anthony Fauci, America's top infectious disease expert, told CNN that Omicron infections are anticipated to peak by the end of January in the US.

Several wealthy countries, like the United Kingdom, have begun booster campaigns to offer third doses of Covid vaccinations, with 57 percent of persons over the age of 12 having already got three doses.

Dr. Tedros, on the other hand, told reporters that large-scale booster programmes in richer nations were "certain to prolong the pandemic" because they diverted supplies away from poorer, less vaccinated countries, allowing the virus to "spread and evolve."

He went on to say that "everyone should make a New Year's resolution to support the fight to vaccinate 70%" of the world by 2022. According to the WHO, about 100 nations have yet to reach the original aim of vaccination 40% of their populations.

According to a WHO report released on Tuesday, the number of new Covid infections of all kinds increased by 57% in Europe and 30% in the Americas in the week leading up to December 26.

Those figures continue to rise, with new records being established on Wednesday: