Entering worst phase of pandemic, Omicron fastest spreading virus in history: Bill Gates

New Delhi, Dec 22: Alerting the public, Bill Gates in a series of tweets spoke about the worrisome nature of the present surge in the Omicron cases across the world. He said that he has cancelled most of his holiday plans.

He also noted that his close friends have increasingly been getting infected with the virus, the billionaire and co-founder of Microsoft said.

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

"The big unknown is how sick omicron makes you...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," he said in a tweet.

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.

There will be more breakthrough cases in people who are vx'd, which sounds concerning but is purely a factor of how many people are vx'd and how fast this variant is spreading. Vaccines are designed to prevent people from getting seriously ill or dying & are doing that well, Gates said.

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, he said in another tweet.