Assessing the Potential Health Impact of Omicron

Cases of SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron are surging in numerous settings, with early evidence suggesting Omicron is more infectious than the Delta variant. It is not yet known, however, if Omicron has higher severity or if vaccines are less effective. New research from Swiss TPH now provides guidance to decision-makers on Omicron's potential public health impact for a range of different scenarios. The paper is currently under review and available as pre-print. The infectivity, severity, and immune evasion properties of Omicron will influence how dominant the variant becomes and what the disease burden will be. Swiss TPH modelers looked at a wide range of these potential properties and how they interact in order to study the potential impact of Omicron on future transmission and disease burden. They then analysed if current booster vaccination strategies would be sufficient to prevent overwhelming healthcare systems, or whether additional interventions may be needed.