Dec 30 – European stocks rose on Thursday in the hope that new restrictions and controls related to the coronavirus will not be necessary in 2022, given data that point to the less seriousness of the omicron variant compared to previous mutations, although the increase in cases held back profits.

The pan-European STOXX 600 Index was up 0.1% at 0815 GMT, after falling 0.1% on Wednesday, with tech, healthcare and retail stocks leading the way.

Several European markets, such as those in Italy, Germany and Spain, will be closed on Friday due to the New Year’s holiday, while those in Paris and London will trade for half a session.

While new COVID-19 infections worldwide hit a record in the seven-day period through Tuesday, a group of researchers said a booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine was 84% ​​effective in preventing the hospitalization of infected South African health workers as the omicron variant spread.

Siemens Healthineers was up 0.6% after the US drug regulatory body granted emergency use authorization to the German healthcare company’s COVID-19 tests.

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