Europe surpasses 75 million COVID-19 cases amid spread of Omicron

FILE PHOTO: A medical specialist holds the hand of a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the intensive care unit (ICU) of Toxicology and Sepsis clinic of the Riga East Clinical University Hospital in Riga, Latvia. REUTERS/Janis Laizans

(Reuters) - Europe crossed 75 million coronavirus cases on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, as the region braces for the new Omicron variant at a time when hospitals in some countries are already strained by the current surge.

Over 15 countries in Europe have reported confirmed cases of the new variant that has rattled financial markets. The European Union's public health agency said on Thursday that the Omicron variant could be responsible for more than half of all COVID-19 infections in Europe within a few months.