Pulmonary and respiratory diseases specialist, Mohammed Hassan Al-Tarawneh, said the COVID-19 situation in the Arab region is "stable."

He told Roya, Saturday morning, that there has been no sudden increase in the number of infections and hospital admissions in the region.

He continued saying that the increase in the number of infections is limited to China right now, adding that the information disclosed from their side is “neither accurate nor transparent.”

He said that it is too early to tell whether or not the world may witness a new wave of COVID-19 infections. Tarawneh advised citizens to get their information from official and trusted sources like the World Health Organization (WHO).

Tarawneh elaborated saying that there are several factors that affect the flow of information and data regarding COVID-19, including political and economic contributing factors.

Commenting on the spread of the latest COVID-19 variant in China, Tarawneh said that it is derived from the Omicron variant, but spreads more quickly and is more likely to reach the lower respiratory tract. The new strain is also more likely to cause pneumonia in comparison to previous variants, which could lead to higher hospitalization rates.

Tarawneh also spoke about the respiratory syncytial virus, saying that, contrary to what many people are saying, the virus is not a new variant of coronavirus. He explained that the respiratory syncytial virus is a respiratory virus that infects the respiratory system and usually infects two-year-old children.