Omicron Covid variant Q&A: How the symptoms differ and what protection vaccines offer

Omicron Covid variant Q&A: How the symptoms differ and what protection vaccines offer

The omicron variant, which has double the number of mutations of the delta variant, is thought to be highly contagious and has led to cases being found worldwide. The UK confirmed the presence of omicron , which was first detected in South Africa, on November 27. There are now more than 50 countries with reported cases - this includes Botswana, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Canda, US, Australia, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to address the nation at 8pm tonight after UK Covid alert was raised to Level 4 but, below, we have answered the key questions about the variant, the vaccines, and what the future may hold. What are the symptoms of the omicron variant? Fatigue and high pulse are among "unusual" symptoms spotted by Dr Angelique Coetzee , who had patients with muscle aches, "scratchy throat" and dry cough. A few had a high temperature. She first saw the variant in a man in his early thirties with tiredness and a mild headache, but none of the usual symptoms