Omicron May Infect Half of Europeans Within Weeks, WHO Says
- Europe faces a ‘west-to-east tidal wave,’ WHO official says
- Covid nowhere near endemic phase amid fast-evolving virus: WHO
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More than half of Europe’s population may be infected with omicron within weeks at current transmission rates, a World Health Organization official said.
The fast-spreading variant represents a “west-to-east tidal wave sweeping across the region,” said Hans Kluge, the regional director of the WHO for Europe at a briefing Tuesday. He cited forecasts by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that the majority of Europeans could catch it in the next six to eight weeks.