The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention predicts more people will be hospitalized or die this winter than expected.

Covid is being broadcast more now because of the Omicron variant, which is why the agency also predicts more deaths and hospitalizations. The risk assessment, published Wednesday, advises governments to urgently impose restrictions on Covid, and family members are advised to avoid meeting with many people for the holiday season.

Dr. Andrea Ammon, director of the agency which previously served as the German government's adviser on the SARS and H2N2 virus, said:

"We consider the possibility of further spread of the Omicron variant in the EU / Europe economic zone as very high and it is considered very likely to cause more hospitalizations and deaths, beyond those already expected from previous forecasts that receive consider only the Delta variant. ”

"In the current situation, vaccination alone will not allow us to prevent the impact of the Omicron variant, because there will be no time to address the vaccination gaps that still exist," she said.