Omicron On Track To Infect Half Of Europe In 8 Weeks, WHO Warns

The World Health Organization warned Tuesday that the omicron coronaviruses variant is set to affect more than half of people in Europe over the next two months, urging people to continue taking the disease seriously as some world leaders debate a shift towards treating Covid-19 in line with more stable and predictable infections
The WHO warned that omicron is on track to spread to half of Europe in two months.

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The WHO's Europe region, which covers 53 countries across a geographic area including Israel and parts of Central Asia, reported more than 7 million new cases of Covid-19 in the first week of 2022, according to the organization's director.

Over the last two weeks, Kluge said, the number of new infections has more than doubled, and that more than 50% of the population in the region will be affected in the next six to eight weeks.

Kluge said the variant is transmissible and can be passed on to people who have been previously vaccine-free.

Kluge pointed out that the rise in Covid-19 hospitalizations was due to the higher risk of serious disease and hospitalization for unvaccinated people.
What to watch for.

There are changes in how countries manage Covid-19. Spain's Prime Minister Pedronchez called for a debate on whether Covid-19 should be treated as an endemic disease like flu, in light of the lower death and hospitalization rates. According to reports, the administration is drafting a new monitoring system that will not record every infections and will only test those with symptoms. The U.K. has reported that they hope to become one of the first major economies to transition from a disease to a disease. Professor Christina Pagel, a professor in clinical operational research at University College London, told Sky News ministers "can't just say we're moving from pandemic to endemic... that's the virus' timescale... not ours."

The key background.

A number of countries in the region have announced record infections daily since the omicron variant of Covid-19 arrived. The surge has stretched hospitals to their limits, prompting governments to introduce a number of measures to relieve pressure. Many have introduced new restrictions to try and contain the outbreak. Germany is set to debate similar requirements as Austria plans to implement mandatory vaccinations. The backlash was sparked by France's president, who said his administration's coronaviruses restrictions were intended to "piss off" the nation's vaccine holdouts. Similar requirements have already been implemented in Italy.
Europe reported a record 1 million cases of coronaviruses.

Germany is considering making shots compulsory for unvaccinated people.

The World Health Organization predicts European virus deaths will pass 2.2 million by March.

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