This document provides the final report of a scoping review undertaken as part of a wider study on the ‘Assessment of point of care testing devices for infectious disease surveillance, prevention and control’ that was commissioned by ECDC and undertaken by RAND Europe between November 2019 and April 2020.
Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year.
This report presents the results of the European External Influenza Quality Assessment Programme 2020 for influenza reference laboratories in the WHO European Region, designed and prepared by the contractor and funded by ECDC and WHO Regional Office for Europe.
As of 20 January 2022, the Omicron variant has been identified in all EU/EEA countries. From 20 December 2021 to 9 January 2022, there were 23 EU/EEA countries with adequate sequencing volume that reported an estimated prevalence of Omicron VOC of 69.4%.
From 20 December 2021 to 2 January 2022, there were 21 EU/EEA countries with adequate sequencing volume that reported an estimated prevalence of Omicron VOC of 46%.