WHO director warns against calling the Omicron variant 'mild,' even if it's less severe than Delta

• The WHO director-general on Thursday warned against calling the Omicron coronavirus variant "mild."
• He said it should not be categorized as such, even if it seemed less severe than the Delta variant.

The World Health Organization's director-general on Thursday warned against calling the Omicron coronavirus variant "mild," even if it seemed less severe than the Delta variant.

"While Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as 'mild,'" Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference. "Just like previous variants, Omicron is hospitalizing people, and it is killing people."

He said hospitals were becoming both "overcrowded and understaffed," which could lead to "preventable" deaths from not just COVID-19 but also other injuries and diseases.

Last week, he said a "tsunami" of COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant would strain healthcare workers and hospitals already nearing the "brink of collapse."

The director-general's remarks come as the world faces a surge in COVID-19 cases, according to the latest WHO data.

In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the Omicron variant made up 95% of recent cases.