JOHANNESBURG—Scientists in South Africa assert they are reaching preliminary answers to two of the three broad questions referring to the Omicron coronavirus variant: Is it more contagious than earlier versions, is it more useful at bypassing the physique’s immune responses and does it create you sicker?
Their tentative answers to the main two questions are yes, though definitive conclusions will need more work. Nonetheless they are saying it’s too soon since the launch of the outbreak to answer to the third—whether or no longer Omicron is more virulent.
