People wearing partially face coverings walk across Westminster Bridge in London.
Highlight
- Britain on Wednesday recorded the highest number of Covid cases since the pandemic began amid an Omicron scare
- Experts say Omicron will become the dominant version in Europe by mid-January
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU is well prepared to fight Omicron
The United Kingdom (UK) has recorded its highest daily number of coronavirus cases at 78,610 since the start of the pandemic, AFP reported on Wednesday. A British health official said the number of cases could rise in the next few days.
Omicron is expected to have the major coronavirus version in 27 EU countries by mid-January, the bloc’s top official said on Wednesday amid concerns that a dramatic rise in infections would plunge Europe into despair over the holiday season.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was well prepared to fight Omicron, with 66.6% of its population fully vaccinated. She expressed disappointment that the pandemic would again disrupt year-end celebrations, but said she was confident the EU had the “strength” and “means” to address COVID-19.
“Like many of you, I’m sad that once again this Christmas will come under the shadow of the pandemic,” she said.
The EU data for vaccination obscures the fact that some EU countries, such as Portugal and Spain, have very high vaccination rates, while others are far behind. According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, just 26.6% of people in Bulgaria have been fully vaccinated.
UK officials say Continental Europe may look to Britain to see what happens next after the Omicron outbreak, as it will be the dominant version there in a matter of days.
Dr. Jenny Harris, head of the UK Health Protection Agency, said Omicron is showing a staggering growth rate compared to previous variants.
“The difficulty is that the doubling time of this virus is getting shorter, that is, it is doubling faster, growing faster,” Harris told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday. “In most areas in the UK, it is now less than two days. When it started we were estimating around four or five.”
Harris said the variant is “probably the most significant threat we’ve encountered since the start of the pandemic.”
An alarming increase in infections came as winter approached, and the delta variant remains widespread, prompting many European governments to implement public health measures as higher death rates increased during the fall.
The head of the World Health Organization says 77 countries have reported cases of omicron, but that version is probably still undetected in most countries. The WHO says the data is still coming and much remains unknown about the new version. The variant spreads more easily from person to person and is better able to avoid vaccines, but is also milder, according to an analysis of data from South Africa on Tuesday.
“Omicron is spreading at a rate that we have not seen with any previous edition. We are concerned that people are dismissing Omicron as mild,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Certainly we have Knowing by now that we underestimate this virus at our own risk.”
He emphasized that vaccines were just a tool – if a major – to fight the pandemic, along with measures such as wearing masks, better ventilation indoors, social distancing and hand washing.
With Omicron now on the scene, more countries are adopting sanctions. Italy this week required negative tests from vaccinated visitors, raising concerns that similar moves elsewhere would limit EU citizens’ ability to travel to see friends and relatives on holidays.
Portugal adopted a similar measure on 1 December, requiring mandatory negative tests for all passengers on incoming flights, regardless of their vaccination status, place of origin or nationality.
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Von der Leyen said the EU was facing a dual challenge, with a massive increase in cases in recent weeks combined with the rise of Omicron due to the delta variant.
“We are seeing an increasing number of sick people, an increased burden on hospitals and, unfortunately, an increase in the number of deaths,” he told MPs from the European Parliament.
Von der Leyen stressed that the increase in infections in Europe for now has been due “almost exclusively” to the Delta variant. She said it is important to fight vaccine skepticism, especially in EU countries with low vaccination rates.
“Because the price we will pay if people are not vaccinated is going to increase,” she said. “It is also a problem for our elderly citizens, who once again cannot see their grandchildren this Christmas. And it’s also a problem for kids who can’t go to school once again. What kind of life is this?”
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Echoing von der Leyen’s comments, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed on Wednesday that his new government would do everything for Germany to overcome the coronavirus pandemic and bring people back to normal life.
“We don’t have time to waste,” said Scholz, who took over as Germany grapples with the biggest wave of infections during the pandemic.
Scholz also said his German government would not tolerate a “small minority” of extremists who are trying to impose their will against coronavirus policies.
As governments prepared for the holiday season, Greece, Italy, Spain and Hungary began vaccinating children aged 5-11 against COVID-19. EU leaders are to have a summit in Brussels on Thursday.
,With inputs from AP,
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