Europe hit by Covid-19 resurgence after rushed exit, rise of ‘stealth Omicron’
- Infection rates in Germany and Austria have reached new highs, while cases in the Netherlands have doubled since coronavirus curbs were lifted last month
- Pandemic risks continue to plague the region, even as the Ukraine war and soaring prices loom large
Europe tried to leave Covid-19 behind, but the rush to unwind restrictions is now setting the stage for a revival of pandemic risks.
Accelerated by the emergence of BA.2 or “stealth Omicron” – a more-transmissible strain of the Omicron variant – the virus has spread rapidly. Germany on Tuesday set a fresh record for infection rates for the four straight day. Austria has also reached new highs, while cases in the Netherlands have doubled since lifting curbs on February 25.
Most authorities have shrugged off the surge, showing little appetite to reimpose curbs after easing measures just a few weeks ago. But the virus threatens to cause problems anyway, with businesses and schools disrupted as people call in sick.
“The messaging from politicians is encouraging many people who were taking precautions to mix with others,” said Martin McKee, professor of public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “It does seem very courageous, and indeed risky, to assume that the pandemic is over.”
The timing could hardly be worse. Europe can ill afford further strain as the region grapples with a cost-of-living crisis, which the war in Ukraine threatens to intensify as the conflict sends food and fuel prices soaring.