Not all omicron cases are mild, top German health expert warns

Germany's top health expert has warned against labelling the omicron variant as a "mild" illness, and urged citizens to closely follow anti-coronavirus measures amid a surge in new infections.

"Omicron infections are not always mild. Each week, more than 1,000 people are losing their lives in our country due to the omicron variant," Professor Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), told a press conference on Friday.

He called on people to closely follow the guidelines to avoid getting infected, observe hygiene measures, wear masks, and keep a safe distance from one another.

Germany is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks due to the relaxation of anti-coronavirus measures, and the spread of the highly contagious omicron sub-variant BA.2.

Health authorities reported 296,498 new COVID-19 cases and 288 related fatalities on Friday.

The BA.2 sub variant of omicron was responsible for more than 72% of new cases, according to the RKI.

The surge in new infections have started to overwhelm hospitals in many regions, according to the German Hospital Federation (DKG).

As of Thursday, nearly 25,000 patients with COVID-19 were receiving treatment in hospitals. Of those, 2,329 were in intensive care units, and 886 on ventilators.

Germany is among the countries hardest hit by the pandemic in Western Europe, with one of the highest caseloads in the region, just behind France and the UK.

The country of 83 million has so far reported nearly 19.9 million infections and 128,110 deaths.