EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has said the emergence of Omicron means it is time to consider mandatory vaccinations across Europe’s member states.
The European Commission President told reporters in Brussels: “On the one hand we have the virus and the variants, on the other hand we have vaccination and boosters and I want the second part to win.
“Not each and everyone can be vaccinated,” she acknowledged, but said “the vast majority could”.
“Therefore, I think, it is understandable and appropriate to lead this discussion now [on] how we can encourage and potentially think about mandatory vaccination within the European Union,” she added.
“This needs discussion. This needs a common approach, but it is a discussion that I think has to be led.”
The move comes as the scientist behind the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine urged the public not to “freak out” over the emergence of the Omicron variant, stressing that it is likely jabs will still provide protection against the disease.
Dr Ugur Sahin, the co-founder of BioNTech, said that while the new strain was likely to partially evade antibodies acquired through vaccination, the immune system had other lines of defence.
“Our message is: Don’t freak out, the plan remains the same: Speed up the administration of a third booster shot,” Dr Sahin told the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
Governments across the world are racing to speed up their booster vaccination campaign as the variant spreads. Boris Johnson on Tuesday announced all adults would be offered a third dose by the end of January.
