As of sunday, we learnt that there 200 and forty six confirmed omicron cases in the u.K. Nicholas: What can these numbers tell us about transmissability? Saint heset tells us, well, as you said, in south africa e, there's really a sharp rise in cases. So that is obviously quite worrying sign in terms of transmissability. It suggests that this really is spreading quite quickly.
Over 40 countries have now confirmed the presence of Omicron. And, in the UK, scientists have been increasingly expressing their concern about the new variant. Some have speculated there could be more than 1,000 cases here already, and that it could become the dominant variant within weeks. To get an update on what we know about the Omicron variant, and how quickly it might be spreading, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Nicola Davis, the Guardian’s science correspondent. Help support our independent journalism at
theguardian.com/sciencepod