'The sky isn't falling in' – WHO's Dr Mike Ryan urges calm around new Covid variant

WHO Health Emergencies Programme director Dr Mike Ryan said people needed to trust that health officials would inform the public if and when there was a significant change in risk. File picture: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

The head of the Word Health Organisation's Health Emergencies Programme has urged people to continue to adhere to public health guidelines while health officials carry out assessments on the threat posed by the new variant of Covid-19.

Though early evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection compared to other highly transmissible variants, Dr Mike Ryan said people needed to trust that health officials would inform the public if and when there was a significant change in risk and warned against "knee-jerk responses."