Omicron: Variant to become dominant strain in EU by mid-January, official says

STRASBOURG, France — The omicron coronavirus variant likely will become the dominant strain in the European Union by the middle of next month, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

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According to The Associated Press, the prediction came Wednesday as Von der Leyen spoke at a European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, France.

“Like many of you, I’m sad that once again this Christmas will be overshadowed by the pandemic,” she said, according to the AP.

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More than 300 million people – or 66.6% of the EU’s population – in the 27-nation bloc are fully vaccinated, and 62 million have received a third “booster” shot, she said.

“Initial data from omicron shows us that this triple jab is the best protection against the new variant,” Von der Leyen said, adding that the EU can produce more than 300 million vaccine doses per month.

The news came just one day after a preliminary South African study found that the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is about 70% effective at preventing hospitalizations but offers only 33% protection against infection as the omicron variant drives a resurgence of cases in the country. The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, also found that omicron may cause less severe symptoms, according to the AP.

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Last week, Pfizer and BioNTech said an initial lab study demonstrated that a booster dose of their vaccine appeared to “neutralize” the omicron variant. The third dose increased neutralizing antibodies against omicron 25-fold compared to two doses, the companies said in a news release. That study also has not been peer-reviewed, the AP reported.

On Tuesday, World Health Organization Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that while 77 countries have reported omicron cases, the variant likely has spread to most countries without being detected, according to Agence France-Presse and France 24.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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