In Europe, the Omicron strain of coronavirus has become dominant, displacing Delta. In some states, the incidence associated with a new variant of the virus has probably already peaked, said Hans Kluge, Director of the European Office of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Europe accounts for about half of all new infections and deaths from COVID-19 every day. Meanwhile, the WHO warns that Omicron is still dangerous, especially for the unvaccinated.
Strain Omicron in Europe
As writes Reuters, some European countries may have peaked in Omicron-associated coronavirus cases after the Christmas and New Year holidays, after which the number of infections began to decline. However, doctors and politicians insist that it is too early to relax.
Thus, the average number of cases per Great Britain in a week decreased by 30,000 compared to the peak values. Authorities Spain stated that the number of infected people is stabilizing, and in France The Institute of Public Health reported that the Omicron wave in the country will peak in mid-January.
At the same time, health authorities Sweden and Switzerland stated that the peak in these two countries, according to forecasts, could be reached by the end of this month.
And in Denmark The Minister of Health informed that “the epidemic in the country is now under control.” Quarantine restrictions have been relaxed.
However, experts believe that the burden on medical systems may still increase after the expected increase in the number of hospitalizations. Such a forecast is due to the fact that Omicron was initially actively spread among young people, but is now being passed on to older generations, with respect to which its behavior can be unpredictable.
–
The incidence situation in Europe
During the day in European countries it was revealed 962 407 new cases of coronavirus infection – almost half of the new infections in the world.
France became the leader in the increase in patients – 324,580 people per day, 148 patients died there per day. In total, since the beginning of the pandemic in the country, there are already 13.8 million cases of COVID-19, of which 126,869 are fatal.
In second place was Italy – 180,426 new cases, 239 people died. In total, 8.5 million Italians have already fallen ill, 140,856 of them have died.
Came in third place in terms of incidence per day Great Britain – 81,713 infected and 287 deaths. Since the beginning of the pandemic in the country, 15.1 million cases have died, 151,899 people have died.
Fourth place was taken Germany with 60,916 sick and 144 deaths per day. In total, there are already 7.9 million cases of COVID-19, and 116,242 patients have died.
We add that in Turkey During the day, 63,967 people out of 384,263 tested became ill with coronavirus, and 177 patients died.
–
Omicron remains a dangerous virus, vaccination can help
Head of VOZ Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recalled that Omicron, although less likely to cause a severe course of the disease than Delta, is still dangerous, reports Reuters. This is especially true for unvaccinated patients.
At the same time, we must not forget that this strain of coronavirus is very contagious – in the week before January 9, the incidence increased by 55% compared to the previous seven days. During this period, 15 million people fell ill at once. It is noted that the majority of those hospitalized are unvaccinated.
“We must not allow this virus to spread and wave the white flag, especially when so many people around the world remain unvaccinated,” Ghebreyesus said.
Doctors have repeatedly said that the only way to overcome a pandemic is through mass vaccination of the Earth’s population. It is needed primarily in order to slow down the mutation of the virus, because the next strain may be even more infectious and dangerous.
It is too early to talk about this, because in more than 90 countries of the world, less than 40% of the inhabitants are now vaccinated. And in Africa, 85% of the population has not yet received even the first dose of the drug.
–
As OBOZREVATEL reported, the immunologist Boris Donskoy interview said that an outbreak of the Omicron strain in Ukraine could begin in the near future. The spread of this option in the country is inevitable, which is actively children will helpwho are currently studying full-time.
–
–
The materials on this site are for general informational use only and are not intended to provide a diagnosis or self-treatment. “MedOboz” medical experts guarantee that all the content we post is published and meets the highest medical standards. Our goal is to inform patients of the highest quality about the symptoms, causes and methods of diagnosing diseases for their timely visit to a face-to-face consultation with a doctor.
—
