Europe risks a new dangerous kind

The World Health Organization warns that Omicron may be followed by a new, more dangerous variant in Western Europe.

Spiegel writes that the risk of new variants increases the faster the omicron spreads.

– We’re in a very dangerous stage. We are closely following infection rates in Western Europe, says Catherine Smallwood, director of European Crisis Management for the World Health Organization.

Infection rate is rising Europe, mainly in France and the United Kingdom, and in most countries, the omicron variant now predominates.

Now the World Health Organization warns, Who is the, so that a more serious viral variant could follow in the footsteps of omicrons.

The German Spiegel writes that the greater and faster the omicron spreads – the greater the risk that a more dangerous variant will follow.

“The more omicron spreads, the more likely it is to produce a new variant,” said Catherine Smallwood, director of European Crisis Management for the World Health Organization, according to Spiegel.

Omikron is generally considered to be a milder variant, compared to Delta, and has not yet resulted in many patients requiring hospital care. However, due to its high prevalence, omicrons may still pose a greater risk, according to Solwood.

“If the number of cases goes up significantly, there are likely to be more people who are going to get seriously ill, go into hospital, or maybe even die,” Smallwood said.

Spiegel notes the sharp increase in cases in Europe only in the last days of 2021.

Even for modern, well-equipped healthcare there are currently major problems, Smallwood says and warns that in many countries it could soon become just as important as in the UK now.

In the UK, healthcare has suffered from a massive staff shortage due to Covid-19, while the country has just registered more than 200,000 new patients in a single day.