is the Omicron variant more contagious and less resistant to the vaccine?

New studies concern the contagiousness of the Omicron variant. “It is more contagious than the Delta, the transmission rate is higher, this is what we see in the United Kingdom where we sequence a lot“, explains the doctor and host Marina Carrère d’Encausse, present Wednesday, December 15 on the set of 19/20.”We come to estimate that in mid-January, in Europe, the Omicron must have been dominant “, adds the specialist.

The Omicron variant “seems less dangerous” because “there are fewer hospitalizations“, and fewer visits to intensive care, says Marina Carrère d’Encausse. However,”you have to be careful because these data come from South Africa, where the population is younger than the European population“, she warns. Vaccines are also less effective on Omicron, particularly on transmission.