Highest value since the beginning of the pandemic: Omikron sets a worldwide record - one region particularly affected

Created: 12/29/2021, 1:45 PM

Omikron ensures a worldwide record of new infections.

© Tayfun Salci via www.imago-images.de

The omicron variant of the coronavirus is setting new records for new infections.

There have been more infections worldwide than ever since the beginning of the pandemic.

Munich - The highly contagious Corona variant Omikron has led to a massive increase in the number of infections worldwide.

More than 6.5 million infections were detected worldwide from December 22nd to 28th - the highest weekly value since the beginning of the pandemic, as the AFP news agency reported on Wednesday on the basis of information from the authorities.

In Europe in particular, the number of infections is skyrocketing.

The World Health Organization (WHO) still rates the risk posed by Omikron as very high.

Almost a million cases every day: Omikron ensures corona record numbers

According to the AFP count, an average of more than 935,000 infections per day were detected worldwide from December 22nd to 28th - a total of 37 percent more than in the previous week.

The previous weekly record was between April 23 and 29, 2021 - with an average of 817,000 cases per day (the delta variant prevailed at the time).

Most of the new infections are currently in Europe, where a total of more than 3.5 million cases have been registered in the past seven days.

That was an average of more than 510,000 cases per day - which is also a new high.

In previous waves of infections, never more than 300,000 cases per day had been registered in Europe.

Omikron in Europe: France and Great Britain with more new infections than ever before

Countries like France and Great Britain, where Omikron has already spread, are now seeing more infections than ever before.

In France, with almost 180,000 new cases, a new daily high was recorded on Tuesday - after the number of new infections daily exceeded the threshold of 100,000 for the first time on Saturday.

In the UK, authorities in England and Wales reported nearly 130,000 new cases on Tuesday.

That was also a new daily record, although no new figures were available from Northern Ireland and Scotland due to the Christmas holidays.

In Greece, the number of new infections more than doubled from Monday to Tuesday.

In the Netherlands and Switzerland, Omikron has been the predominant coronavirus variant since Tuesday.

In Germany, too, the number of cases with Omikron is increasing significantly.

Corona: WHO rates Omikron risk as "very high" - warning of "large number of hospital admissions"

The WHO said on Wednesday that the risk from Omikron continues to be "very high" worldwide.

Omikron has a growth advantage over the Delta variant with a doubling rate of two to three days.

A "rapid increase in incidence" can therefore already be observed in many countries.

This increase is "likely" to be due to a combination of gradually decreasing protection from vaccination or convalescence and higher transferability.

Booster vaccinations can help.

The WHO expects that Omikron could lead to "large numbers of hospital admissions" in Europe.

This is due to the expected mass of infections, said Catherine Smallwood of the WHO European Directorate on Tuesday the AFP.

The WHO sees indications that an infection with Omikron generally leads to hospital stays less often - but such evaluations still have to be viewed "with caution", stressed Smallwood.

According to the WHO statement on Wednesday, there is still a lack of data on the course of the disease and the risk of infection.

(AFP)