EU says Omicron may cause over half of Covid infections in Europe in a few months

The European Union's public health agency, the European Centre for Disease prevention and Control (ECDC), said on Thursday that the Omicron variant could be responsible for more than half of all COVID-19 infections in Europe with a few months.

"Based on mathematical modelling conducted by ECDC, there are indications that Omicron could cause over half of all SARS-CoV-2 infections in the EU/EEA within the next few months," it said in a document.

The European Union and European Economic Area includes the 27 EU states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.