“I’m highly concerned that Omicron, being more transmissible [and] circulating at the same time as Delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases,” Tedros says at an online news conference. That, he says, will put “immense pressure on exhausted health workers and health systems on the brink of collapse.”

According to WHO’s figures, the number of COVID-19 cases recorded worldwide increased by 11% last week compared with the previous week, with nearly 4.99 million newly reported from Dec. 20-26. New cases in Europe — which accounted for more than half of the total — were up 3% while those in the Americas rose 39% and there was a 7% increase in Africa. The global gain followed a gradual increase since October.

The head of the WHO was unconsciously hinting at a Biblical plague. The Biblical blogger, Yeraanen Yaakov, commented on the “tsunami” reference by citing Tosefta Taanit (2:11). The Tosefta notes that God promised that He would not bring a destructive flood of rain onto the earth again but he could still bring other destructive “rains”. One example of destructive rain was the “flood” of sulfur. Zechariah prophesied that in the days preceding the Messiah, God would repeal his covenant with the nations that he made in the days of Noah:

Taking my staff Favor, I cleft it in two, so as to annul the covenant I had made with all the peoples; Zechariah 11:10

The Tosefta explains that this end-of-days “flood” will be a magnified replay of pestilence; the fifth Egyptian plague.