The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has now been reported in 57 countries and continues to spread rapidly in South Africa, says the World Health Organization (WHO). The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has predicted that the Omicron variant could become the dominant variant in Europe within a few months. The WHO report said South Africa reported 62,021 cases of the variant between November 29 and December 5, an increase of 111% over the previous week. Omicron appears to be spreading rapidly in South Africa despite previous high rates of Covid infection. The report concluded that many questions about the Omicron variant remain unanswered, but that more information will emerge in the coming weeks.

Source: The Guardian December 10, 2021 20:18 UTC