The world is sicker than it's been in over 100 years, experts say. Even as it recedes in some places, the omicron variant is leaving a trail of illness perhaps more extensive than any other five-to-six-week stretch the world has experienced in more than a century. The number of people sickened by omicron is likely bigger than in any other similar spell since the flu pandemic of 1918-19, global health experts told the Wall Street Journal. Trevor Bedford, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, told the Journal that about one in five Americans had been infected with omicron by midway through January, and the figure could double by mid-February. Citing surveys and modeling from the Office for National Statistics, the newspaper said more than one in six England residents contracted the coronavirus since omicron was identified in late November. In Denmark it has been one in five, and in Israel one in nine. 🔗 For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit our link in bio. 📸: Laura Morton, @apnews