Sudden Increase in COVID-19 Cases in Europe

The Ministry of Health of Armenia reports on its Facebook page:

“There has been a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases in Europe, attributed to the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. These variants are known to spread more rapidly and, according to preliminary forecasts, will become dominant in European countries by the end of July.

In the United Kingdom, for instance, COVID-19 cases have risen by 20 percent, with 2.7 million cases recorded last week, meaning that 1 in 25 people has been infected.

Estimations suggest that the increase is due to the easing of restrictions and a rise in travel during the summer holidays. The European Medicines Agency announced the day before that the increase in transmission among the elderly is starting to lead to severe illnesses, urging those aged 60-79 to receive a booster dose, and those over 80 to receive a second booster.”