A rapid increase in the number of Omicron COVID-19 variant cases is imminent, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has warned.
By Wednesday, 2,629 Omicron cases had been confirmed in 27 countries in the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA), 502 of these in the past 24 hours.
This indicates that community transmission is already ongoing in the EU and EEA countries, the ECDC said. Based on modeling predictions, a further rapid increase is imminent, ECDC Director Andrea Ammon said.
Omicron, which the World Health Organization labeled a "variant of concern" on November 26, was first discovered in South Africa and prompted countries to introduce travel bans.
However, a preliminary analysis of the initial cases reported to the European Surveillance System (TESSy) suggests that imported or travel-related cases only accounted for 13 percent, while 70 percent were acquired locally.
The EU or EEA countries reporting cases without an epidemiological link to travel are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Iceland.
Ammon urged countries to act fast to minimise the infection rate.
"Countries should ramp up efforts to increase full vaccination in people not yet vaccinated or only partially vaccinated, as well as to administer booster doses to all eligible as soon as possible," she said.
In Slovakia and Romania, less than half of the population had received the first dose, and in Bulgaria less than 28 percent of the population had received the first jab.
Sparsely populated Iceland is the only country where more than half of the population have already received the booster dose.
She also urged countries to rapidly reintroduce and strengthen other measures to slow down the spread of the Omicron variant and keep the COVID-related burden manageable.
"It remains a priority to use face masks appropriately, telework, prevent crowding in public spaces, reduce crowding on public transport, stay home when ill, maintain hand and respiratory hygiene measures and ensure adequate ventilation in closed spaces. Countries may expect a strong resurgence of cases if they lift these."
(This story was published from a syndicated feed. Only the headline and picture has been edited by FIT)
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