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EU lawmakers express concern over Omicron variant

Wednesday, 01 December 2021 3:25 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 01 December 2021 3:25 AM ]

Jerome Hughes
Press TV, Brussels

As more cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 are detected in Europe, questions mount over its true origin, how contagious it is and, of course, the health threat. The matter was debated in the European Parliament on Tuesday.

The head of the European Medicines Agency, Emer Cooke, told lawmakers that greater efforts are needed to get more people vaccinated in the EU.

Even though we know little about the new variant, EU countries are increasing restrictions. Most legislators agree that vaccination rollout remains key.

Citizens have been reacting to the latest developments.

One quarter of adults in the EU have still not been jabbed. A contributing factor to hesitancy, it has been suggested, is the refusal of pharmaceutical giants to release vaccine clinical trial data.

Many EU legislators are saying it's imperative that Omicron serves as a warning.

They are again repeating a message they've been trying to send to political leaders for almost a year. The West must stop hoarding vaccines from poorer nations otherwise more variants, and perhaps more deadly variants, will be coming.

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