Covid-19: Euro zone inflation touches record 5% amid Omicron spread

Consumer prices in the 19 countries that use the euro currency soared at a record rate, led by a surge in food and energy costs, figures showed Friday.
 
Inflation rose to 5 per cent in December compared with a year earlier, according to Eurostat, the European Union's statistical office. That is the highest level in the eurozone since recordkeeping began in 1997, breaking the record of 4.9 per cent only just set in November.
 
Euro zone economic sentiment dropped more than expected last month while inflation hit another record high, indicating the economy is under renewed stress as