The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday of "another storm coming," describing the dramatic advance of the Omicron variant across Europe.
Since its identification less than four weeks ago, the coronavirus variant has been detected in at least 38 of the 53 member states of the WHO Europe Region, WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge said in Vienna.
Many questions about Omicron remain unanswered, Kluge said, but the variant is already known to have become the dominant strain in several countries including Denmark, Portugal and Britain, "where its numbers are doubling every one and a half to three days, generating previously unseen transmission rates."
Within the next few weeks, Kluge said, the new variant will become dominant in more countries in the region, pushing already strained health care systems even further to breaking point.
Omicron is likely to become the dominant variant circulating in Europe, he said, adding that: "The sheer volume of new Covid-19 infections could lead to more hospitalizations and widespread disruption to health systems and other critical services."
