Too Soon To Treat COVID-19 Like Flu As Omicron Spreads – WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said COVID-19 Omicron variant is on track to infect more than half of the European population and it should not yet be seen as a flu-like endemic illness.
Europe saw more than 7 million newly-reported cases in the first week of 2022, more than doubling over a two-week period.
WHO’s Europe director Hans Kluge told a news briefing that the world should be cautious as the omicron variant was currently spreading across the globe.
“At this rate, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation forecasts that more than 50% of the population in the region will be infected with Omicron in the next 6-8 weeks,” Kluge said, referring to a research centre at the University of Washington.
He stressed that fifty out of 53 countries in Europe and central Asia have logged cases of the more infectious variant.
Nonetheless, evidence is emerging that Omicron is affecting the upper respiratory tract more than the lungs, causing milder symptoms than previous variants.
More Reuters