European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives for a gathering of the College of Commissioners, successful Strasbourg, France, Tuesday, Dec. 14 2021. The College volition sermon connected a broad bundle connected vigor and clime enactment and volition besides follow a connection for a revision of the Schengen Borders Code. (Julien Warnand, Pool Photo via AP) (Julien Warnand)

BRUSSELS – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that omicron is expected to beryllium the ascendant coronavirus variant successful the 27-nation bloc by mid-January.

The caput of the EU’s enforcement subdivision said the bloc is good prepared to combat omicron with 66.6% of the European colonisation present afloat vaccinated against the virus.

Von der Leyen said she is assured the EU has the “strength” and “means” to flooded the disease, though expressing her disappointment that erstwhile again year-end celebrations volition beryllium disturbed by the pandemic.

“Like galore of you, I'm bittersweet that erstwhile again this Christmas volition beryllium overshadowed by the pandemic," Von der Leyen.

She added that the EU is present facing a treble challenge, with a monolithic summation of cases successful caller weeks owed to the delta variant combined with the emergence of omicron, arsenic immoderate subordinate countries are already confronted with a grounds fig of infections.

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“We're seeing an expanding fig of radical falling ill, a greater load connected hospitals and unluckily an summation successful the fig of deaths," she said.

Von der Leyen insisted that the summation successful infections remains owed “almost exclusively" to the delta variant.

“And what I'm acrophobic astir is that we present seeing the caller variant omicron connected the horizon, which is seemingly adjacent much infectious."

Thanks to the precocious complaint of vaccination successful the bloc and the availability of vaccine doses, Von der Leyen said that Europe is present successful a amended presumption to combat the virus. She said that much than 300 cardinal radical successful the EU person been afloat vaccinated and that 62 cardinal radical got a booster jab.

“Initial information from omicron shows america that this triple jab is the champion extortion against the caller variant," she said.

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