Omicron: everything you need to know about new Covid variant

Key questions answered about coronavirus variant first detected in southern AfricaCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe variant was initially referred to as B.1.1.529, but on Friday was designated as a variant of concern (VOC) by the World Health Organization because of its “concerning” mutations and because “preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant”. The WHO system assigns such variants a Greek lette