In the first week of January, more than 7 million new cases of the Omicron form of Covid-19 were reported across Europe. The World Health Organization (WHO) gave this information.
WHO Europe director Dr. Hans Kluge said at a news conference on Tuesday that 26 countries in the European region reported each week that more than one percent of their population was getting infected with the coronavirus, warning that the countries had hospitals for Covid patients. The opportunities to stop the floods are running out.
He referred to estimates from the University of Washington’s Institute of Health Metrics, according to which half the population in Western Europe will be infected with the coronavirus in the next six to eight weeks.
“Omicron is spreading faster and more widely than any other form before,” he said. Kluge called for issuing instructions to wear masks in homes and prioritizing vaccination, including booster doses, to at-risk populations, health workers and others.
He said the hospitalization rate of unvaccinated people in Denmark is six times higher than those who have been vaccinated.
