EU Official: Omicron to be Dominant Variant by Mid-January

World

December 15th, 9:07am

Asharq Al-Awsat

A sign that reads "Observe the obligation to cover your mouth and nose" is placed on Hohe Strasse shopping street as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Cologne, Germany, December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that omicron is expected to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the 27-nation bloc by mid-January. The head of the EU’s executive branch said the bloc is well prepared to fight omicron with 66.6% of the European population now fully vaccinated against the virus. Von der Leyen said she is confident the EU has the “strength” and “means” to overcome the disease although expressing her sadness that once again “Christmas will be overshadowed by the pandemic.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed on Wednesday to win the fight against the pandemic, imploring Germans in his first major address to parliament to get vaccinated as the only way out of the crisis. "I tell citizens of our country, 'yes it will get better, yes we will win the fight against this pandemic with the biggest determination, and yes we will win this fight, we will overcome the crisis," Scholz said. He said there were "no red lines" for his government in tackling the fourth wave of the pandemic, which experts say is largely driven by a relatively high percentage of unvaccinated citizens.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3360431/eu-official-omicron-be-dominant-variant-mid-january