The overall risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron remains "very high", the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday as the world continues to witness the surge in global COVID-19 cases.

The weekly epidemiological update by WHO revealed the week of December 20-26 saw the global number of new COVID-19 cases increase by 11 per cent as compared to the previous week.

"Consistent evidence shows that the Omicron has a growth advantage over the Delta with a doubling time of 2-3 days and rapid increases in the incidence of cases is seen in a number of countries, including those where the variant has become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant," WHO update said while citing examples of the UK and the US.

The overall risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron remains "very high", the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday as the world continues to witness the surge in global COVID-19 cases.

The weekly epidemiological update by WHO revealed the week of December 20-26 saw the global number of new COVID-19 cases increase by 11 per cent as compared to the previous week.

"Consistent evidence shows that the Omicron has a growth advantage over the Delta with a doubling time of 2-3 days and rapid increases in the incidence of cases is seen in a number of countries, including those where the variant has become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant," WHO update said while citing examples of the UK and the US.