COVID Omicron Variant: What You Need to Know

Is omicron more transmissible (contagious)?

“There is some preliminary evidence suggesting the omicron variant is more infectious than the delta variant,” says Bollinger. “But there is no evidence so far that the standard prevention strategies, including vaccination, masking, distancing, ventilation and hand-washing are not effective in reducing the risk of infection or transmission.”

Does omicron cause more severe COVID-19 illness?

“For omicron, there are very limited data on this,” Bollinger says. “But, so far, the answer appears to be no.  We will know more about this in the coming weeks.”