Omicron will become the dominant coronavirus variant in Denmark this week, epidemiologists say, driving a rise in cases to record levels and offering a warning to the rest of Europe about the more transmissible mutation.
Cases in Denmark have surged, contributing to a record daily tally of Covid-19 infections, with some statisticians expecting Omicron to represent a majority of cases in the Scandinavian country by Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Omicron variant is now having a clear impact on case numbers in Denmark and the UK, the first evidence outside southern Africa of its ability to change the course of the pandemic. Epidemiologists say the two countries offer an early warning of how infections and hospital admission rates could spike across Europe this winter and show the need for effective booster programmes to be in place.