World health chief in holiday season warning

WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said it is better to “cancel now and celebrate later, than to celebrate now and grieve later” in the context of rising Omicron cases over the festive period.

He said the “fastest way” to get back to normal was to “make the difficult decisions that must be made to protect ourselves and others” which in some cases could mean postponing or canceling plans.

Tedros said Monday there was “consistent evidence” Omicron was spreading faster than Delta” and said “it is more likely people vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19” could be infected.

Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist for the WHO, added that it was “unwise” to conclude from early evidence that Omicron was milder than past strains and said “all health systems are going to be under strain” as numbers rise.

Dr Margaret Harris, a public health doctor from the WHO, tells Sky News the mental health impacts of lockdowns are “very serious and we have seen a big rise in in mental health suffering during this period”.

It’s better for countries to control the spread of coronavirus and avoid using lockdowns, a World Health Organization leader says.

Countries that do go into lockdown should look at offering extra support to people “to alleviate the suffering it does cause”.

“We prefer not to see lockdowns, a big lockdown, because they have huge economic implications, they have very severe social implications and mental health implications,” she says.

“However, they do work. So governments do get to a point when the hospitals are overwhelmed, where they run out of options.”

BBC