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Only in the first week of 2022, the old continent reported more than seven million new cases of Covid-19, in full swing of this variant that has proven to be more contagious than other lineages. But the World Health Organization does not believe that the new coronavirus is already endemically circulating at the level of other viruses such as the flu.
Half of the populations of the 53 countries and territories that the World Health Organization includes on the European continent will be infected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19. It is an estimate of hundreds of millions of people in a region that has become the epicenter of the new lineage of this virus.
The old continent doubled its weekly infections at the beginning of this 2022. In the first week of the year, Europe registered more than seven million new cases, double over the previous 14 days.
“At this rate, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) of the University of Washington predicts that more than 50% of the region’s population will have been infected with the Omicron variant in the next six or eight weeks”, Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, told a news conference.
It is an “unprecedented” transmission, said Kluge, who also stressed that there are a much higher number of asymptomatic cases. And it is that the first studies of the new lineage indicate that Ómicron affects mainly the upper part of the respiratory tract and not so much the lungs. Reason why the variant would not have a higher virulence.
Can we speak of a Covid-19 endemic?
Despite this panorama on the horizon, the WHO reduces the capacity of the new coronavirus when it comes to talking about an endemic, that is, a disease established in a country or at a time of year.
“We have a rapidly evolving virus right now that poses new challenges. We are not at a time when it can be described as endemic, ”said Kluge.
The WHO ensures that before treating Covid-19 as an endemic virus, such as the flu, it is still necessary to have a stable and predictable transmission.
This body thus downplayed proposals such as the one made by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, who raised the possibility of changing the tracking of infections and opting for what is done with the flu. This would mean no longer monitoring each case and not testing the population with symptoms.
Measures against Covid-19 in Europe
On this continent, vaccination has become a recurring controversy. Each government has decided to go its own way regarding whether or not these inoculations are mandatory.
One of the territories with the strictest regulations is Austria where all people over 14 years of age will have the obligation to be vaccinated from February. Otherwise they face quarterly fines of up to 3,600 euros.
In Italy, all those over 50 must be vaccinated, something similar to what Germany will implement from February.
The application of the vaccination certificate in France is a national controversy. In this territory, all public employees, from government officials to firefighters, must be vaccinated. In addition, the vaccination pass is an essential requirement for social life (bars, cinemas, restaurants, etc.) for everyone over 16 years of age.
United Kingdom You have opted for a more flexible strategy. Here only compulsory vaccination is required for healthcare workers. This certificate is also requested in nightclubs, some indoor and outdoor venues, as well as in all facilities with a capacity of more than 10,000 people.
With AFP and Reuters
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