Covid Cases in Europe More Than Doubled in Two Weeks, W.H.O. Says

The area noticed over seven million newly reported circumstances of Covid-19 in the primary week of 2022, greater than doubling over a two-week interval. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation forecasts that greater than 50 p.c of the inhabitants in the area will likely be contaminated with Omicron in the subsequent six to eight weeks. The at the moment authorised vaccines do proceed to offer good safety in opposition to extreme illness and dying, together with for Omicron. But due to the unprecedented scale of transmission, we at the moment are seeing rising Covid-19 hospitalizations. It is difficult well being techniques and repair supply in many international locations the place Omicron has unfold at velocity, and threatens to overwhelm in many extra. I’m additionally deeply involved that because the variant strikes east, we’ve got but to see its full influence in international locations the place ranges of vaccination uptake are decrease, and the place we are going to see extra extreme illness in the unvaccinated. For international locations not but hit by the Omicron surge, there’s a closing window of alternative to behave now and plan for contingencies.