It might be time to rethink your festive plans, the World Health Organization has warned amid a rising number of cases of the coronavirus caused by the Omicron variant.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pandemic might mean canceling in-person events over the holiday period, adding that "an event canceled is better than a life canceled."

The Omicron variant is taking over the world in a previously unseen speed. Speaking at the news conference on Monday, Tedros pointed out that just a month ago, Africa was reporting its lowest number of new cases in 18 months. Last week, the region reported the fourth-highest number of cases in a single week since the start of the pandemic