Danish Professor Says Omicron to Become Dominant Strain Amid 'Worrying' Increase in Cases

Originating in South Africa, the "Omicron" strain, feared to be more dangerous and vaccine-resistant due to its greater number of mutations, has spurred governments around the world to roll out heavier travel restrictions and advanced public health measures.

A total of 183 cases of the new Omicron strain have been found in Denmark so far, a marked jump in a matter of days, the State Serum Institute (SSI) has reported.

According to SSI director Henrik Ullum, the development is clearly going the wrong way.

"We're seeing a worrying increase in the number of Omicron-infected in Denmark. There are now ongoing infection chains where the infection is seen among people who have not been out travelling or have connections with travellers", Ullum told TV2.

According to Henrik Ullum, intensive work is now being done to slow down the development with rapid laboratory detection of the virus strain as soon as possible.

While there are still a number of unanswered questions about the new strain, such as how contagious it is and whether current vaccines are effective enough, the SSI director maintained that it is "absolutely crucial" that more people get vaccinated.

"A high immunity gives our society more resilience if the Omicron infection increases further", Ullum told TV2.

Per Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of experimental virology at the University of Copenhagen, there are many indications that the Omicron strain is more contagious than Delta, previously seen as the most dangerous.

"It appears to spread more, and it seems to easier spread to previously infected people", Randrup Thomsen said. At the same time, however, the virologist emphasised that its course of illness is not as bad as Delta.

Allan Randrup argued that Omicron will ultimately become the dominant COVID strain, but refused to predict when exactly it will happen.

First detected in South Africa, the Omicron variant has prompted governments around the world to roll out increased travel restrictions and take advanced public health measures. Among other things, many countries have closed their borders to foreign passengers arriving from African countries regardless of whether they hold certificates of full vaccination or recovery from COVID-19.

As the Omicron strain has reached several European countries, with rising infection figures, researchers have warned it could be more dangerous and vaccine-resistant due to the greater number of mutations.