Technical Lead for the World Health Organization's (WHO) Emergencies Program Maria Van Kerkhove said on Wednesday that the Omicron variant is still "spreading fast, and it does have a growth advantage over Delta in some countries." But she also added that she is "incredibly hopeful" that 2022 is "the year we end the COVID-19 pandemic" since "we have tools now, and we can take the death out of COVID-19."