Quixplained: Why Omicron is high risk, what you should do

The World Health Organization has classified a new variant of the novel coronavirus, which belongs to a lineage named B.1.1.529, as a ‘variant of concern’, and named is Omicron. This variant was first identified by scientists in South Africa, but has spread to nearly a dozed countries including Australia, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Hong Kong, Botswana and Belgium.

So, what is different about Omicron and why is it deemed a high risk? Do vaccines work against it? What should you do? Take a look:

What is Omicron, the new Covid-19 variant? Why is Omicron deemed as high risk? Do vaccines work against Omicron? Omicron variant: What should one do?

The emergence of the new variant shows once again that the pandemic is far from over — and Covid-appropriate behaviour is critical for breaking the chain of transmission: masking, social distancing, good ventilation in all shared spaces, and washing or sanitising hands and surfaces regularly.

Also in Explained | Why it has been named Omicron and not Nu or Xi

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