World Health Organization Emergency Director Mike Ryan refuted Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s statement that the current widespread variant of Omicron could end the pandemic.
In an earlier interview, Bolsonaro played down the threat associated with the new variant in Brazil.
During a press conference in Geneva, Wednesday, January 12, 2022, when asked about the remarks made by the Brazilian president, Ryan emphasized that although Omicron does not cause severe illness like the Delta variant, it does not mean mild disease.
Ryan explained that there were a lot of people around the world in hospitals, in the ICU, gasping for air, which “obviously makes it very clear that this is not a minor illness.”
“It’s a vaccine-preventable disease, it’s a vaccine-preventable disease by taking, to a greater extent, strong personal precautions to avoid infection and get vaccinated,” Ryan said.
“There is much we can do. This is not the time to give up, this is not the time to state that this is an acceptable virus. There is no accepted virus that kills people. Especially when that death and suffering could be prevented with the use of proper vaccinations.” he said.
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