The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has spread around the world at a rapid pace since it was first discovered in southern Africa last month but there is still a great deal we do not know about it.
More data is needed to determine its precise characteristics and how it responds to our existing coronavirus vaccines, but what seems beyond doubt is that it is more transmissible than any previous strains we have encountered over the course of the pandemic so far, including the Alpha and Delta variants.
Omicron has been detected in at least 89 countries to date, with the likes of the Netherlands, Germany and South Korea reimposing lockdown measures to slow its spread.
The UK has recorded 14 deaths from the new variant so far and more than 60,000 confirmed cases at the time of writing, according to the UK Health Security Agency, while overall Covid cases have more than doubled, rocketing to a pandemic high of 93,045 last Friday.
One thing that has become clear over the last few weeks is how the Omicron variant differs from the original Covid strain.
While the World Health Organisation estimated…
