One in ten Europeans will be infected with the coronavirus by the end of the week. Such a development of events was predicted by the director of the regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO) Hans Kluge, reports TASS.
The WHO spokesman stressed that his forecasts for an increase in the number of infections among Europeans were confirmed by laboratory tests. “Last month, we warned that another half a million lives could be lost by early 2022 if we do not take urgent action,” he recalled.
According to Kluge, the number of deaths reached 4,100 per day, which is double the figure for September. He noted that an increase in the incidence of COVID-19 is observed in all age groups, especially among citizens aged five to 14 years.
Earlier, WHO epidemiologist Santiago Mas Coma said that the rapid spread of the omicron strain was due to the increase in international air travel observed in recent months. He compared all countries to cheese with holes: through the gaps arising from international air travel, new strains penetrate them.
