More than half of people in Europe are projected to catch Omicron by March, the WHO said as per an AFP report.

“The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) forecasts that more than 50 percent of the population in the region will be infected with Omicron in the next six to eight weeks,” said Hans Kluge, regional director for WHO's European office.

Europe is at the epicentre of alarming new outbreaks alongside mounting hospital admissions and deaths.