Covid-19: What the next few weeks will look like with the Omicron variant spreading worldwide

Omicron, the latest variant of concern, was discovered in samples collected on November 8 in South Africa. It rapidly replaced Delta as the dominant variant in the country and now accounts for nearly 100% of cases in South Africa.

Since then, this latest “variant of concern” has since spread throughout the world and is surging in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland and, most recently, the United States.

Two factors appear to contribute to its success: high transmissibility and its ability to evade the protection from vaccination. Omicron’s potential to overpower national health systems worries many public health experts and has led to some countries introducing strict control measures.

Dangerous situation

The UK is heading into the festive season in a dangerous situation. New Omicron cases are doubling approximately every two days in some areas, including London.

To put this in context, such a rapid spread has not been seen since March 2020 when the reported numbers doubled every three to six days in the absence of any restrictions or vaccination protection.

The current regulations – mandating wearing masks in the public, encouraging working from home and avoiding large events – reduce the transmission and deprive the virus of the opportunity to spread. Nearly 70% of the population have received two vaccine doses and over 40% have received a booster. These measures have been sufficient…

Read more