Brussels (Brussels Morning) More than half of Europeans will be infected by the Omicron coronavirus variant in the next two months if the current rate of infections persists, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
Speaking in a video statement, WHO’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said the region experienced more than 7 million newly reported cases of coronavirus infections in the first week of 2022. This represents a doubling over a two-week period, with 26 countries reporting more than 1% of their population becoming infected on a weekly basis.
“At this rate, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation forecasts that more than 50% of the population in the region will be infected with Omicron in the next 6-8 weeks”, Kluge declared as he stressed how recent data shows Omicron is highly transmissible. He went on to note, however, that currently approved vaccines do continue to provide good protection against severe disease and death.
“But because of the unprecedented scale of transmission, we are now seeing rising COVID-19 hospitalisations.” These, he said, were “challenging health systems and service delivery in many countries where Omicron has spread at speed” and now threaten “to overwhelm many more.”
Kluge also expressed concern that, as the Omicron variant moves east, it will spread to countries where vaccination levels are significantly lower, and where the unvaccinated could experience more severe disease symptoms. He cautioned that such an impact has yet to be seen.
Kluge urged countries not yet overwhelmed by the Omicron surge to act quickly and plan for contingencies. He said they should take the time to prepare response systems, to increase the supplies of tests and advised that they make them widely available free of charge.
He also advocated the importance of keeping schools open. Citing the significant benefits for children’s mental, social and educational well-being, he emphasised that “schools should be the last places to close, and the first to reopen.”
