According to forecasts, from the second half of January and February there will be an increase in the incidence of coronavirus infection, which is likely to be caused by the new omicron strain, chief state sanitary doctor of Ukraine Ihor Kuzin said on the air of Ukrainian Radio.

At the same time, the peak of the increase in the incidence is expected in mid-February.

According to the chief medical officer, as of December 30, only six laboratory-confirmed cases of the omicron strain were detected.

According to clinical data, infection with the omicron strain leads to a milder course of the disease than with the delta strain. However, this strain is transmitted much faster than "delta".

Kuzin said that the effectiveness of the full vaccination course is somewhat reduced with the Omicron strain: the percentage of reduction is now about 30%. A booster dose can cut it by up to 50%.

As Kuzin previously reported, about 42 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in Ukraine in 2022.