The early evidence suggests that Omicron is more transmissible than the dominant Delta variant and causes different symptoms to previous variants such as intense fatigue and a high heart rate.
Of those two the main issue is the virus’ transmissibility; how infectious it is.
The more infectious a virus is, the quicker it can spread and the more people that can become ill who could potentially find themselves in hospital, putting more pressure on the NHS.
On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the variant is likely to spread internationally and poses a high risk of infection surges that could have “severe consequences” in some places.
Despite these worries, according to Psychotherapist Noel McDermott it is, “extremely unlikely” that the Omicron variant could ruin Christmas plans, “as early indication shows that it is behaving like all viruses have ever behaved by becoming more infectious, but less lethal”.
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