The B.1.1.529 SARS-CoV-2 variant was first reported on 24th November 2021, and 2 days later @WHO designated it #Omicron. Since then we (me @_nickdavies@cap1024@markjit and John Edmunds) have worked to understand potential consequences for England. 𧡠[cmmid.github.io/topics/covid19β¦]
First, what do we know about Omicron?
1β£ it has a large number of mutations (see covdb.stanford.edu/page/mutation-β¦)
2β£ there is evidence from South Africa (s/out @SACEMAdirector and team) of an increased reinfection risk associated with the emergence of Omicron:
A lot of attention on our @cmmid_lshtm preprint on the SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01. For some background, the precursor work on a (single-variant) model looking at tiered restrictions and lockdown in England was published last night: authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S14β¦ β¨PEER REVIEWED(!)β¨ 1/9
We fitted a (single-variant) model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to the first and second waves in England from March - October 2020, using a number of data sources across NHS England regions 2/9