Too Soon To Treat Covid Like Flu, May Need To Update Vax: WHO

Says Omicron To Infect Over Half Of Europe’s Population In 6-8 Weeks

The Omicron variant is ontrack to infect more thanhalf of Europeans, but it should not yet be seen as a flulike endemic illness, the WHO said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a technical body of the UN health agency said on Tuesday that current Covid-19 vaccines may need to be reworked to ensure they are effective against Omicron and future variants.

Europe saw over 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 said.“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.Fifty out of 53 nations in Europe and central Asia have logged Omicron cases.