WHO says measures against delta work for omicron variant too

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — World Health Organization officials in the Western Pacific say border closures adopted by some countries may buy time to deal with the new omicron coronavirus variant. However, they say measures put in place and experience gained in dealing with the delta variant should remain the foundation for fighting the pandemic. While a few regional countries are facing surges, many others see COVID-19 cases and deaths decrease and plateau. WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Dr. Takeshi Kasai says full vaccination coverage, social distancing, mask wearing and other measures still offer the best protection. Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea have reported cases of the omicron variant. India, Singapore and Malaysia also reported cases in the last 24 hours.