ECDC: Omicron may be more transmissible and more vaccine-resistant

The ECDC has joined the World Health Organization in classifying B.1.1.529 as a ‘variant of concern’. File Picture: PA

The new Omicron variant of the coronavirus is the “most divergent variant detected in significant numbers during the pandemic so far,” the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) has said.

In an assessment published this evening, the ECDC said the new variant, characterised by 30 changes, three small deletions, and one small insertion on the virus spike protein, “raises concerns that it may be associated with increased transmissibility, a significant reduction in vaccine effectiveness and increased risk for reinfections”.