Covid-19: Act now to curb Omicron's spread, WHO's Tedros tells world

Governments should urgently reassess their national responses to Covid-19 and accelerate their vaccination programmes to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

The global spread of the variant suggests it could have a major impact on the pandemic, and the time to contain it is now, before more Omicron patients are hospitalised, he told a news briefing.

• Covid-19: Omicron reported in 57 countries; hospitalisations set to rise, says WHO