The World Well being Group’s European head has warned international locations to brace for a “important surge” in COVID-19 instances as Omicron spreads, saying the variant has to date circulated principally amongst younger adults.
Because it emerged in late November, Omicron has been detected in at the very least 38 of the 53 international locations within the WHO’s European area and is already dominant in a number of of them together with Denmark, Portugal and the UK, Hans Kluge informed a information convention in Vienna on Tuesday.
“We are able to see one other storm coming,” mentioned Kluge. “Inside weeks, Omicron will dominate in additional international locations of the area, pushing already stretched well being methods additional to the brink.”
The WHO’s Europe area contains Russia and different former Soviet republics in addition to Turkey.
WHO information reveals the area has in current weeks reported the very best variety of COVID-19 instances in comparison with the inhabitants dimension wherever.
Even earlier than Omicron, officers had warned of an additional 700,000 deaths https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/total-covid-deaths-europe-could-exceed-22-million-by-march-who-2021-11-23 from the illness by March.
To this point, 89% of the early Omicron instances in Europe have been related to widespread COVID signs resembling cough, sore throat and fever, Kluge mentioned. Most instances had been reported amongst adults of their 20s and 30s, spreading initially in cities at social and office gatherings, he added.
“The sheer quantity of latest COVID-19 infections might result in extra hospitalizations and widespread disruption to well being methods and different vital providers,” he mentioned, urging individuals to get vaccinated and boosted and to restrict socialising.
“Governments and authorities want to arrange our response methods for a major surge.”
The WHO warned on Monday that Omicron is spreading sooner than the Delta variant https://www.reuters.com/world/omicron-spreading-infecting-vaccinated-who-2021-12-20, inflicting infections in individuals already vaccinated or recovered from the illness.
Its chief scientist has known as it “unwise” to conclude from early proof it’s a milder variant than earlier ones.
(Reuters)