The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised Covid patients to remain in quarantine for 14 days. However, most corona patients recover within five to seven days of the onset of symptoms. On Tuesday, a WHO official told this in a press conference. Abdi Mahmood of WHO’s Covid-19 Incident Management Support Team said, ‘States should decide on the duration of the quarantine based on their individual circumstances.’
He said that the longer period of quarantine in countries with less infection helps in reducing corona cases. He said that the short period of quarantine can be justified to keep the economies of the countries running. The official told reporters that it is possible to be infected with both influenza and Covid-19. Since the two are different viruses that attack the body in different ways, there is little risk of them combining into a new virus.
According to WHO, as of 29 December 2021, around 128 countries had reported cases of the Omicron variant. In South Africa, where there was a sharp increase in cases after a relatively low. There, hospitalization and mortality rates remain low. However, the situation is not going to be the same in other countries. “The new study points to the fact that Omicron appears to affect the upper respiratory system rather than the lungs, which is good news,” he said. High-risk individuals and unvaccinated people can still become seriously ill from Omicron.’
Omicron can overtake other strains
Mahmood said Omicron could overtake other strains in a matter of weeks, especially in areas with large numbers of susceptible people, mainly those who are unvaccinated. He said it took two weeks for cases of the alpha variant to double in Denmark, compared to two days for Omicron. The world has never seen such a contagious virus.