VIENNA (Dispatches) - The World Health Organization’s European head has warned countries to brace for a “significant surge” in COVID-19 cases as Omicron spreads, and advised the widespread use of boosters for protection.
Since it emerged in late November, Omicron has been detected in at least 38 of the 53 countries in the WHO’s European region and is already dominant in several of them, including Denmark, Portugal and the United Kingdom, Hans Kluge told a news conference in Vienna.
“We can see another storm coming,” said Kluge. “Within weeks, Omicron will dominate in more countries of the region, pushing already stretched health systems further to the brink.”
The WHO’s Europe region includes Russia and other former Soviet republics, as well as Turkey.
WHO data shows the region has in recent weeks reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases compared to population size anywhere in the world. Even before Omicron, officials had warned of a further 700,000 deaths.
WHO headquarters in Geneva has advised that vaccine boosters be saved for the most vulnerable, but Kluge urged people to “boost, boost, boost”.
“The booster is the single most important defense against Omicron,” he said.
So far, 89% of the early Omicron cases in Europe were associated with common COVID-19 symptoms such as cough, sore throat and fever, Kluge said. Most cases had been reported among adults in their 20s and 30s, spreading initially in cities at social and workplace gatherings, he added.
“The sheer volume of new COVID-19 infections could lead to more hospitalizations and widespread disruption to health systems and other critical services,” he said.
“Governments and authorities need to prepare our response systems for a significant surge.”
Earlier, the WHO said that Omicron is spreading faster than the Delta variant, causing infections in people already vaccinated or recovered from the disease. Its chief scientist has called it “unwise” to conclude from early evidence it is a milder variant than previous ones.
The news came as some countries in Europe tightened curbs, with Portugal ordering to close and telling people to work from home for at least two weeks, and Germany reimposing tighter rules on social contact.
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, met the country’s 16 state leaders on Tuesday to decide on new measures including a ban on gatherings of more than 10 vaccinated people.
Children under 14 are expected to be exempt from the rules, which will not come into effect until 28 December. Unvaccinated people are already only allowed to meet a maximum of two people from outside their own household.

14 Deaths, 129 Hospitalized
in UK by Omicron

There are currently 129 people in hospital with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus and so far 14 people have died with it, junior health minister Gillian Keegan told Sky News on Wednesday.
Hospitals in parts of England are being asked to plan for the equivalent of a “mass casualty” event in January as NHS managers fear up to one-third of staff could be off sick, according to a report.
She also said the UK government would not hesitate to bring in further COVID-19 restrictions if the data showed it was necessary.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he would not introduce new restrictions in England before Christmas, but the situation remained extremely difficult and the government might need to act afterwards.
Several senior NHS sources have raised concerns that the mass absence of health workers will coincide with a peak in hospital admissions in mid-January, The Independent reported.