The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday warned of “another storm” describing the dramatic spread of the coronavirus omicron in Europe.
Since the identification of omicron less than four weeks ago, it has been detected in at least 38 of the 53 countries in the WHO European Region, according to the WHO Regional Director Hans Klug.
Many questions about omicrone remain unanswered, Klug said, but it is known to have become the dominant form in a number of countries, including Denmark, Portugal and the United Kingdom, “where numbers double every one and a half to three days, generating unprecedented levels of transmission”.
In the next few weeks, the new strain will become dominant in a number of other countries in the region, bringing the situation in already strained healthcare systems closer to breaking point. Omikrons are likely to become the dominant variant in Europe, Klug said.
“The high number of new cases of Covid-19 virus infection could lead to even more hospitalizations and widespread disruption to health systems and other critical services,” he warned.
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