Governments should urgently reassess their national responses to COVID-19 and accelerate their vaccination programmes to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, WHO director-general said on Wednesday.

Iran PressEurope: 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, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing.

According to reuters, he said: “We call on all countries to increase surveillance, testing and sequencing, ... Any complacency now will cost lives.”

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