Omicron variant found in California

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8. WHO says S Africa Covid hospitalizations are rising but it's too soon to know severity of omicron

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/who-says-south-africa-covid-hospitalizations-are-rising-but-it-s-too-soon-to-know-severity-of-omicron/ar-AARlTg5?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531

WHO says South Africa Covid hospitalizations are rising but it's too soon to know severity of omicron, CNBC, 12/1/21

Hospitalizations are rising across South Africa, but it's still too early to know whether the omicron variant is driving an increase in severe Covid-19 cases, according to the World Health Organization.

Maria Van Kerkhove, Covid technical lead for the WHO, said Wednesday that some patients infected with omicron are showing mild symptoms, but there are also reports of cases in which the disease becomes more severe. Hospitalizations could be rising due to a general increase in Covid cases and not necessarily because omicron is more lethal, Van Kerkhove said.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a Pfizer board member and a former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, told CNBC on Wednesday that there was a mini-delta surge in South Africa as well as an uptick in a separate variant, C.1.2, which complicates efforts to gain clarity on omicron's transmission and virulence.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told CNBC on Monday that omicron symptoms reported in South Africa may not be a good predictor of the variant's virulence in other parts of the world, because the country has a much younger and healthier population than European nations and the United States.