In a report Monday, the World Health Organization reaffirmed that risks from the Omicron variant are very high. Evidence it can evade antibodies suggests that the number of new infections is going to increase, with serious consequences.

The WHO said the number of reinfected patients is increasing in South Africa, and even if Omicron’s virulence is less than that of the Delta variant, the high number of infections will cause hospitals to be overloaded, which may lead to more deaths.