Omicron variant infects 70 times faster, is less severe

The Omicron variant replicates around 70 times faster than Delta and the original Covid-19 strain, though the infection severity is likely to be much lower, according to a University of Hong Kong study that adds weight to the early on-ground observations from South African doctors.

The supercharged speed of spread in the human bronchus was found 24 hours following infection.

‘Vax raises risk of heart issues, less than Covid’
The rare form of heart inflammation some people get after a Covid shot occurs far less often in response to vaccination than after the disease itself, according to the University of Oxford study. A first dose of the vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc, Pfizer Inc. or Moderna Inc. can raise the risk of myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle — as can the second Moderna shot, researchers said.

Oil slips by more than 1% on Omicron threat
Oil declined for a third day as global markets tip into a supply surplus, with demand pressured by the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant worldwide and Chinese constraints on fuel use. Futures slid 1.1 per cent in New York amid a growing conviction that inventories are starting to rise. Bloomberg