European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that the Omicron variant will likely become the dominant coronavirus strain in the 27-member European Union by mid-January.

“Like many of you, I’m sad that once again this Christmas will be overshadowed by the pandemic,” von der Leyen said at a news conference in Brussels.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a summit meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. (Stephanie Lecocq/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Omicron is highly transmissible. A just-released study from researchers in Hong Kong found that it replicates 70 times faster than Delta does once in a host, and the variant is now hurtling across the continent with breathtaking speed,