Omicron Set to Be Dominant Variant in Europe By Mid-January

BRUSSELS — Omicron is expected to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the European Union’s 27 nations by mid-January, the bloc’s top official said today amid concerns that a dramatic rise in infections will leave Europe shrouded in gloom during the holiday season. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is well prepared to fight omicron with 66.6% of its population fully vaccinated. She expressed disappointment that the pandemic will again disrupt year-end celebrations but said she was confident the EU has the “strength” and “means” to overcome COVID-19. “Like many of you, I’m sad that once again this Christmas will be overshadowed by the pandemic,” she said. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] That EU figure for vaccinations obscures the fact that some EU nations like Portugal and Spain have very high vaccination rates while others are lagging way behind. Bulgaria has just 26.6% of its people fully vaccinated, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Continental Europe can look at Britain for a sense of what lies ahead as omicron spreads, for U.K. officials say it will be the dominant variant there within days. The head of the U.K. Health Security Agency, Dr. Jenny Harries, said omicron is displaying a staggering growth rate compared to previous variants. “The difficulty is that the growth of this virus, it has a doubling time which is shortening, ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 healthscienceclimate Source Type: news