omicron

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Dec. 12 warned of a looming "tidal wave" of Omicron, and brought forward a target to give over-18s a booster jab by one month to the end of December.

"We can believe that the fourth wave is subsiding. Mortality is falling, but remains high due to poor health of Bulgarians, problems in the health care system. In Bulgaria, cases that end fatally are unvaccinated, and at risk."

This was said to BNR by the epidemiologist Prof. Mira Kozhuharova, advisor to the Minister of Health.

Greece has registered a record number of deaths from COVID-19 on a daily basis, local media reported. 116 deaths were registered in the country yesterday, BTA reported.

Early indications of the severity of the Omicron COVID-19 variant are "a bit encouraging," top U.S. pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci said on Dec. 5, while cautioning more information was still needed.

The head of drugmaker Moderna said Covid-19 vaccines were unlikely to be as effective against the coronavirus Omicron variant as before, raising new concerns in financial markets about the trajectory of the pandemic, Reuters reported.

The pandemic outlook has not changed significantly in Turkey and this course of COVID-19 makes it easier to bring the disease under control, the country's Health Minister has said.

The number of daily coronavirus infections, which climbed to record highs in April but declined to around 5,000, has remained below 30,000 since mid-October.

Unlike the first announcements since the strain was discovered in South Africa, and then arrived in Europe, and in which the experts of that world organization were vague, they have now given more concrete details, but also forecasts, and they are not promising.

Existing coronavirus vaccines are unlikely to not work at all with the new variant Omicron. But they may work less.

This was stated by Prof. Todor Kantardzhiev on bTV. He reminded that the EC has signed an agreement with Pfizer that if a dangerous mutation of the virus occurs, the manufacturer is ready to provide an adapted vaccine in 100 days.

In England, the mandatory wearing of masks in shops and on public transport will return next week as part of a series of measures in connection with the new version of the Covid-19 Omicron. The rest of the United Kingdom - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - is expected to impose the same restrictions.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the measures were temporary and preventive.

Biontech says it expects to have more data within two weeks to help determine whether the coronavirus vaccine, which it co-developed with Pfizer, needs to be reworked because of a new version of the coronavirus discovered in South Africa.

Pfizer and Biontech have said they expect to be able to deliver a possible new vaccine made for the new version in about 100 days, if necessary.