Omicron cases will make up half of all infections in Europe within months, the EU's health body has warned today as it sounded the alarm over the Covid variant.
Scientists from the European Centre for Disease control ranked the danger posed by the variant as 'high to very high' in their first situation report issued since Omicron was discovered in southern Africa last week.
Early data suggests Omicron may cause a 'significant' reduction in the effectiveness of vaccines and poses 'increased' risk of reinfection to those who have already the disease, their report says.
The variant has so-far been discovered in 13 EU countries and the UK, and while most have been in travellers from Africa there have been cases of community spread.
Omicron will make up half of all Europe's Covid cases within 'the next few months', the EU's disease control agency has warned (file image)
While much still needs to be confirmed about Omicron, including whether or not it causes more-serious illness, the ECDC says it will make up half of all Europe's cases 'within the next few months' as it out-competes the Delta variant.
In its memo, the agency said: 'The probability of further introduction and community spread of the Omicron VOC in EU/EEA countries is currently assessed as high.
'The impact of the further introduction and spread of Omicron could be very high, but this situation needs to be evaluated as further information emerges.'
The report noted that the risks of getting infected with Omicron are still 'highly uncertain', but warns that the effects on vaccinated or previously infected people are 'not yet known'.
Initial data gathered by WHO suggests most infections are mild, with few reports of hospitalisations and no deaths recorded among several hundred known cases.
That has led some, including Germany's would-be health minister, to suggest Omicron could be a blessing in disguise by weakening the overall effect of Covid.
But scientists caution that the data-set is not yet large enough to know for sure whether Omicron is less serious, and that it will take two to three weeks for the picture to become clear.
Europe was already suffering through a wave of infections caused by the Delta variant, and the impact of Omicron could be 'very high' the ECDC says (pictured, current cases in the EU)
