There were more than seven million new cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 across Europe in the first week of January, and half the western continent’s population could be infected in the next six to eight weeks, the World Health Organisation has said.

WHO Europe director Dr Hans Kluge said at a media briefing on Tuesday that 26 countries in its region reported that more than 1% of their populations are being infected with Covid-19 each week, warning there is a “closing window of opportunity” for countries to prevent their health systems from being overwhelmed.

He cited estimates from the Institute of Health Metrics at the University of Washington that projected half of the population in western Europe will be infected with Covid-19 in the next six to eight weeks.

“Omicron moves faster and wider than any (previous) variant we have seen,” he said.

Dr Kluge called for countries to mandate the use of masks indoors and to prioritise vaccination, including booster doses, of at-risk populations, including health workers and older people.

The WHO’s Geneva headquarters has previously pleaded with rich countries not to offer booster doses and to donate them instead to poorer countries where vulnerable groups have yet to be immunised.

Dr Kluge said he was greatly concerned that as Omicron moves east across Europe, the variant will take a much higher toll on countries with lower vaccination coverage rates.

In Denmark, he noted the hospital admission rate was six times higher in people who were not vaccinated compared with those who had been immunised.