Jab-Shy Eastern Europe Has Most To Fear From Omicron

After South Africa, the UK was among the first countries in the world to face the full force of the Omicron variant.

- Samuel Lovett

Spreading rapidly throughout the four nations, Omicron fuelled a sudden surge in infections and hospitalisations, with the government forced to reimpose new Covid-19 restrictions.

Although the outlook in the UK has lightened since the dark days of early December, for much of the continent, there is more to come.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that more than 50 per cent of Europeans will be infected with Omicron in the next six to eight weeks.

A wave of hospitalisations will inevitably follow in each country - the size of which will be dependent on vaccination coverage in each population.

For countries like Portugal - one of the most highly vaccinated countries on the planet - Omicron has already led to a steep jump in infections. But there has been no corresponding rise in deaths. Other nations like France, Spain and Italy will also be able to fall back on their vaccine defences.

But in central and eastern Europe, where uptake is low, it's likely Omicron will cause far more damage in the weeks and months ahead.