Could be entering the worst part of pandemic: Bill Gates on Omicron spread

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Tuesday, in a series of tweets, alerted the public that the Omicron is spreading across the world creating fear and pain and that he has cancelled most of his holiday plans due to the faster spread of the virus.

Noting on the issue that his close friends have been affected by the virus, Gates urged his followers to take Omicron, the Delta variant of Covid, very seriously. We could be entering the worst part of the pandemic, he said.

He also emphasized the danger of the variant, particular to its reinfection rate saying, "The big unknown is how sick Omicron makes you. We need to take it seriously until we know more about it. Even if it’s only half as severe as Delta, it will be the worst surge we have seen so far because it’s so infectious."

"Omicron is spreading faster than any virus in history. It will soon be in every country in the world," tweeted Gates.

Stressing just how vital Covid precautions are at this time, Gates implored a firm return to "wearing masks, avoiding big indoor gatherings, and getting vaccinated"

"If there’s good news here, it’s that Omicron moves so quickly that once it becomes dominant in a country, the wave there should last less than 3 months. Those few months could be bad, but I still believe if we take the right steps, the pandemic can be over in 2022," his thread mentioned.

His warnings come at a time when the US is witnessing an astronomical surge in the Omicron variant, with infections jumping from 3 per cent to 73 per cent of all US Covid cases in the space of a single week.

"I know it’s frustrating to go into another holiday season with Covid looming over us. But it won’t be like this forever. Someday the pandemic will end, and the better we look after each other, the sooner that time will come," he ended.