BRUSSELS (AP) — 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 Wednesday amid concerns …
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN BRUSSELS (AP) — 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 Wednesday 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. The EU-wide vaccination rate obscures that some EU nations, like Portugal and Spain, have immunized the vast majority of their people while other countries lag way behind. Bulgaria, for example, has just 26.6% of its population 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; U.K. officials say it will be the country’s dominant variant 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, i.e. it’s doubling faster, growing faster,’ Harries told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday. “In most regions in the U.K., it is now under two days. When it started, we were estimating about four or five.’ Harries said the variant poses “probably the most significant threat we’ve had since the start of the pandemic.” Britain on Wednesday recorded 78,610 new infections, its highest confirmed daily total of the pandemic.
