EU official: Omicron to be dominant variant by mid-Jan

Brussels: 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, amid concerns that a dramatic rise of in infections will leave Europe shrouded in gloom during the festive season.

The head of the EU's executive branch, however, said that 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 disappointment that once again year-end celebrations will be disturbed by the pandemic.

Like many of you, I'm sad that once again this Christmas will be overshadowed by the pandemic," she said.

The alarming rise of new infections has prompted the implementations of further restrictions across Europe.

The decision this week by Italy to require negative tests from vaccinated visitors has also raised concerns that such moves will limit free movement at a time when many EU citizens travel to see their relatives and loved ones.

Portugal adopted a similar measure on December 1, requiring a mandatory negative test for all flights arriving in Portugal, even for people with health passes and regardless of their point of origin or nationality.

Von der Leyen added that the EU is now facing a double challenge, with a massive increase of cases in recent weeks due to the delta variant combined with the rise of Omicron, as some member countries are already confronted with a record number

of infections.