More than half of Europeans will be infected by Omicron

The startling prediction that more than half of Europeans will be infected with Omicron over the next few months comes from the World Health Organisation (WHO), who says the pandemic is not over.
Scientists and doctors at the organisation believe that more than 50% of the European population will have contracted the omicron variant within the next 6 to 8 weeks given the current rate of transmission. The forecast, released today, is based on a calculation carried out by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluations (IHME), of the University of Washington, and cited by the director of WHO-Europe, Hans Kluge.
Making his first appearance in 2022, Kluge said that the European region (53 countries in total) have reported that more than one percent of their population is being infected every week.
He believes that the call made recently in a number of countries to think about treating the virus as endemic is premature given the current burden on hospitals in the region.
He said: “We must be very cautious with predictions about the future,” insisting that the priority right now is to protect vulnerable groups and health personnel, as well as minimize disruption to the economy and schools.
Continuing he said coronavirus has surprised us “more than once” and that “it is not a good idea” to make forecasts, adding that the fundamental objective for this year is “to stabilize the pandemic.”
The Who’s prediction that more than half of Europe’s population will be infected with the virus within the next six to eight weeks, will alarm those politicians under pressure to remove or reduce current restrictions.

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