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the UK, where Omicron mutations are rampant, the number of new infections per day surpassed 100,000 yesterday (22nd), the highest ever. In Germany, with the prediction that Omicron will become the dominant species within two to three weeks, discussions about the fourth dose of the vaccine have begun.



Correspondent Lee Kyung-won.



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central London, England, which was crowded with people, the front of the Houses of Parliament became quiet.



In the UK, the number of new cases surpassed 106,000 yesterday, breaking the record for the first time in five days.



The death toll has crossed 140.



Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will not introduce new quarantine measures right now, but leaves room for the post-Christmas situation.



[Boris Johnson/Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: We continue to monitor Omicron closely and are prepared to take necessary action if the situation worsens.] The



French and German governments have also prepared for Omicron to soon become the dominant species. .



France's new confirmed cases surged by more than 10,000 in a single day and surpassed 84,000 yesterday, while the French health minister feared that the number could reach 100,000 a day next week.



[Olivier Verand/France Minister of Health: Currently, the rate of omicron mutation is about 35-40%, but it is likely to become the dominant species right after Christmas.]



In Germany, discussions about the fourth vaccination have begun in earnest with the prospect that the omicron mutation will become the dominant species within up to three weeks.



The German Ethics Committee has also issued a recommendation that vaccination against COVID-19 should be made compulsory.



[Rota Wiler/Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Germany: Omicron will make the wave of infections unprecedentedly high.]



Meanwhile, in South Africa, a study found that omicron is less lethal than the delta mutation, but it has not yet been verified by the medical community. It is also pointed out that the results should not be hastily generalized.