KYIV, Dec 13 – According to forecasts of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine, the epidemic situation in the country should be stable during the holidays, but a new strain of Omicron coronavirus (COVID-19) may appear in Ukraine this week, NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov has said at a conference call chaired by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"According to NSDC forecasts, the epidemic situation in our country should be stable during the holidays. It is expected that a new strain of the Omicron coronavirus may appear in Ukraine this week. But the results of the first studies in countries where it has already been detected indicate a milder course disease," the President's Office of Ukraine said on its website.