In November scientists in South Africa identified the emergence of a new variant of COVID-19. Last week the WHO’s independent advisory group of experts named the variant Omicron and classified it as a variant of concern

When the WHO makes this kind of classification it means there are characteristics to the new variant that necessitate a change in behaviour for national health systems and individuals. Over the coming days and weeks, coronavirus experts around the world will analyse Omicron to determine the crucial facts about it.

Until more information becomes available, the best approach to staying safe is to prevent yourself and others from catching COVID. That means practicing safe behaviours including physical distancing from others, wearing masks, washing your hands regularly, ventilating rooms and coughing into a tissue or your elbow. Importantly, we should all get vaccinated against COVID-19 when we can.

Cases of Omicron have so far been confirmed in at least 57 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Scientists expect that more countries will discover cases.

Initial analysis shows that Omicron has many mutations to the virus’s protein spike. Microscopic mutations to a virus’s structure are the way it evolves to survive, by adapting itself to spread more easily. But verified, scientific findings about what this means in terms of how the virus affects people, and how the existing vaccines and treatments respond to the mutations, will take a few weeks.

News like this about the virus can create uncertainty and speculation, so it’s important to get your news and information about Omicron from official sources, such as public health institutions, and not assume that everything you read about it on social media or messaging apps is true.

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