Booster shots may be able to cut hospitalization rates in Europe by at least half a million patients, the European Union’s (EU) public health agency said on Thursday. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) announced in a Jan. 27 statement it estimates that “the current uptake of a booster dose achieved by early January may reduce future Omicron hospital admissions by 500,000 [to] 800,000” in the EU/EEA (European Economic Area). The ECDC figures cover the EU’s 27-nation bloc and the EEA—which consists of Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. The EEA unites the three countries with the 27-nation bloc into a regional trade organization that follows the same rules, enabling merchandise and travelers to move freely about the EEA in an open and competitive environment. According to the health agency, the uptake of primary COVID-19 vaccinations in the EU/EEA has been “increasing slowly” and reached 70 percent this week. Meanwhile, …