Prognosis
Fast-Spreading Omicron Variant Less Likely to Stop Reinfection
A healthcare worker administers a Moderna Covid-19 vaccine booster shot at a mass vaccination site in Tokyo on Jan. 31.
Photographer: Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo/Bloomberg
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New studies are emerging that suggest the latest version of the highly-infectious omicron variant is transmitting even faster than the original, and mild cases of the first may not offer much protection against future infections.
The findings cast doubt on hopes that the wave of omicron that’s sweeping the world may help hasten the end of the pandemic. Calls for governments to treat Covid-19 as endemic like influenza are rising globally as people grow tired of pandemic restrictions, vaccines become more accessible and deaths remain relatively low.