24/01/2022 (Agence Europe) – The Omicron variant of the virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic offers a “plausible hope for stabilisation” that would allow the emergency phase to be overcome as early as 2022, said the WHO Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, in a statement issued on Monday 24 January. However, he warned of “huge disparities” in access to the Covid-19 vaccine in Europe and around the world, which contribute to “transmission, prolongation of the pandemic and increased likelihood of the emergence of new variants”. The Omicron variant appears to be less virulent, but the number of people being hospitalised is increasing due to the explosion in the number of infections, even though the likelihood of them requiring intensive care is decreasing, Kluge noted. He pointed out that “most people in intensive care in the region are not vaccinated”. (MB)