Vucic on new coronavirus strain: Last thing we needed now when there's significant drop in numbers

Photo: Tanjug/Milos Milivojevic

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic spoke today about a new strain of coronavirus, Omicron, about which little is known at this time.

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"As for the appearance of Omicron, if it's been registered in Austria, it's a matter of days before it reaches our country as well. We have had a significant drop in numbers compared to seven days ago, and just when everything was getting better, the last thing we needed is that Omicron."

"I expect that in 5 to 6 months we will have a super vaccine and solve all the problems, and will be producing it in Serbia. Until then, let's be careful as much as possible. Vaccination is crucial."

"Nobody in the world knows anything about this new strain yet, how are we supposed to."

Portugal is the latest European country to confirm cases of the new strain, Omicron. Potentially more contagious than earlier strains, the variant, first identified in South Africa, has spread to at least 15 countries around the world, prompting several nations to step up anti-Covid measures.

Prior to that, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Great Britain and Belgium also announced that they had registered cases of the new strain.

In addition to European countries, the Omicron strain has been confirmed in Australia, Botswana, Canada, Hong Kong and Israel.

(Telegraf.rs)