Europe has crossed 75 million coronavirus cases, according to a Reuters tally, as the region braces for the new Omicron variant at a time when hospitals in some countries are already strained by the current surge.

Over 15 countries in Europe have reported confirmed cases of the new variant that has rattled financial markets. The European Union's public health agency said on Thursday that the Omicron variant could be responsible for more than half of all infections in Europe within a few months.

Even before the discovery of Omicron, Europe was the pandemic's epicentre with 66 out of every 100 new infections each day coming from European countries, according to a Reuters analysis.