WHO's warning on Omicron: 'May change pandemic course without action'

The World Health Organization has said the omicron variant of the coronavirus may change the course of the pandemic.

The UN body has called on countries to vaccinate as fast as possible and keep measures in place to protect people from infection.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the we "can prevent omicron becoming a global crisis", adding that "the virus is changing, but our collective resolve must not."

The organization also said while there's early evidence that omicron is milder than the delta strain, it's too early to be definitive.

Also watch: Omicron not more severe than Delta variant, says Dr Anthony Fauci

The WHO said early evidence suggests the omicron variant may be spreading faster than the highly transmissible delta variant but brings with it less severe coronavirus disease -– though it's too early to make firm conclusions.

The WHO's comments come among swirling concerns about the new variant that first emerged in southern Africa last month.

The variant fear prompted some countries to shut their borders.