A decision on further restrictions will be made after Boxing Day, when more data is available, sources believeThe risk posed by the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has been downgraded from “a hurricane to very severe storm”, a scientific adviser said after two studies suggested that it was less likely to cause severe disease than the Delta variant. Andrew Hayward, an epidemiologist and member of the government’s Nervtag advisory group, said today that although the findings were encouraging, “we’re definitely not out of the danger zone”. SponsoredResults from two studies published yesterday offer early support for Boris Johnson’s decision to pause further restrictions. The risk of requiring an overnight stay in hospital was reduced by at least 40 per cent for people with Omicron compared with Delta. Johnson, who has been briefed on the latest data, has decided to hold off announcing further

Source: The Times December 23, 2021 12:16 UTC