Virus outbreaks diverge, but Omicron a renewed risk

COVID-19 outbreaks in Central and Eastern Europe have diverged in the past month and that may continue in December, but the emergence of the potentially highly-transmissible Omicron variant could replace Delta as the dominant strain and result in severe virus waves across the region. The recent experience is that there is a high bar for economically-damaging containment measures. But Omicron could change that if health systems come under increased strain, prompting a renewed downturn in activity. While our baseline view is that this won’t happen, renewed virus outbreaks – coming alongside other headwinds in the form of supply chain disruptions and surging inflation – means that the pace of growth is likely to slow sharply in the coming months.