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BREAKING
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.
Sheikh Qassem: The government’s latest decision [on the disarmament of the Resistance] is non-charter-based, and if the government continues down this path, it is not faithful to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Omicron is spreading at unprecedented rate: WHO

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 17 Dec 2021 22:47
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

The World Health Organisation says the Omicron variant is spreading at an unprecedented rate, as the number of countries that could be affected is increasing.

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  • Omicron is spreading at an unprecedented rate: WHO
    Omicron is spreading at an unprecedented rate: WHO

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Omicron was spreading at an unprecedented rate and asked countries to take action, while Pfizer said that their coronavirus tablet was effective against the version.

As Europe battles a new wave of infections and hospital admissions, Dutch primary schools will close early, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a crucial parliamentary test in his attempt to impose new COVID restrictions.

Omicron was discovered by South Africa and notified to the WHO on November 24. It possesses a huge number of mutations, which has raised anxiety since its discovery.

Early evidence suggests it may be vaccine-resistant and more transmissible than the Delta form, which was first discovered in India and accounts for the majority of coronavirus cases worldwide.

The strain had been reported in 77 countries, according to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and had "probably" spread undetected to most countries "at a rate we have not seen with any previous variety."

According to a Johns Hopkins University tracker, the United States is the country hardest afflicted by the pandemic, with 800,000 known COVID-19 deaths as of Tuesday.

No confirmation that omicron is more lethal

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Although Britain reported the world's first Omicron death on Monday, there is still no confirmation that the variation causes more serious illness.

The WHO expressed cautious hope on Tuesday, noting that Africa had seen a large increase in cases over the past week but fewer deaths than in prior waves.

However, it advised governments to act quickly to stop the spread of the virus, defend their health systems, and avoid complacency.

Bruce Aylward, a WHO expert, cautioned against "coming to the idea that this is a benign condition," adding that "we might be putting ourselves in a perilous scenario."

Vaccine apartheid 2.0

As Omicron becomes an international threat, developing and developed countries alike are seeking ways to contain the pandemic. 

However, with the 'vaccine apartheid' which has spilled from the past year onto today, there will be an abysmal 'jab gap' between high-income countries and low-income countries. 

Although it has been predicted that there will be at least a billion-vaccine surplus by the end of 2021, recently, Covax announced that it will not be able to satisfy the vaccine needs of developing countries, which have only vaccinated some 0.5% of their populations. 

Tedros, Director-general of the World Health Organization, pointed out that 41 countries have yet to vaccinate even 10 percent of their populations.

Commenting on boosters, he said there was not yet enough data to show a third dose is needed to effectively protect healthy adults against the variant, continuing to say that "as we move forward, boosters could play an important role."

  • Omicron COVID-19 Variant
    Omicron COVID-19 Variant
  • COVID-19
  • Omicron
  • Omicron variant
  • COVID-19 Vaccines

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