WHO gives deadline: Omicron will infect more than half of Europe

Hans Kluge, the European Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), shared his estimate that the Omicron variant will infect 50 percent of Europe within six to eight weeks. Although the first data on the Omicron variant, which was first seen in South Africa on November 24, indicate that it causes milder disease, experts had warned that hospitalizations would increase due to its high infectiousness.

The number of cases continues to increase worldwide. Yesterday, 1.35 million cases were registered in the United States. Restrictions have returned in some European countries, where cases have broken records due to the Omicron effect.

Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said at a press conference via video conference that more than 7 million cases of Omicron were detected in the WHO European region in the first week of the year, an increase of more than two times compared to the previous week.

According to Kluge, 26 countries in Europe report that more than 1 percent of their population is infected with Covid-19 every week, noting that there may be great pressure on the country’s health systems.