The new COVID-19 strain Omicron was first reported less than a month ago, but it is spreading rapidly. A studio by researchers in Hong Kong reported that the variant multiplies about 70 times faster inside human respiratory tract tissue than the Delta variant does. In addition, the Omicron strain reaches higher levels in the tissue 48 hours after infection, compared with Delta.

The severity of infection is still uncertain, too. Recent dati from the COVID-19 Symptom Study app by Zoe and King's College London show the top five symptoms reported in the app for Omicron infection were runny nose, headache, fatigue (either mild or severe), sneezing and sore throat. Dati preliminari dalla Sudafrica suggests the risk of hospitalisation among people with the Omicron is about 29% lower than with the original COVID-19 variant - but that still means over 70% of the original risk remains.

However, symptoms may be more severe for some people, especially the vulnerable or unvaccinated. The government still lists febbre, tosse, e perdita del senso dell'olfatto o del gusto come principali sintomi del COVID-19 da tenere d'occhio.

Although healthcare workers and volunteers are working hard to get people vaccinated, there are still concerns around the efficacy of our vaccines against Omicron. Vaccini protect against serious illness and hospitalisation, but two vaccines alone may not provide as much protection against Omicron infection. However, ricerche by Imperial College London suggests that getting a richiamo could provide between 80% to 85% protection against severe illness.

Devi cancellare i tuoi piani per Natale?

Natale parties and events with large numbers of attendees pose a higher risk of infection with Omicron. Se più famiglie si riuniscono il giorno di Natale, il numero di potenziali esposizioni potrebbe aumentare.

It is also likely that the UK will enter another lockdown in response to the high and growing number of cases of Omicron. Consiglieri scientifici have warned England's hospital admissions could reach 3,000 a day without new measures, which would put intense strain on the NHS. This would have serious implications for anyone needing medical treatment. While the government did not change its guidance on 20th December, neither did it rule out further restrictions.

It is important to remember that any gathering at Christmas can lead to infection with COVID-19, anche tra i vaccinati. "Omicron is set to be the dominant strain in the UK by Natale, and in the New Year cases could hit a peak higher than anything we've ever seen before," says Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist on the App dello studio ZOE COVID-19.

"In vista del Natale, se le persone vogliono incontrarsi e proteggere i membri della famiglia più vulnerabili, consiglierei di limitare i contatti sociali nel periodo precedente al Natale e di fare i test rapidi prima della grande riunione familiare."

Rodney E. Rohde, a professor of clinical laboratory science and an infectious disease specialist at Texas State University, says it's important that people are fully vaccinated and potenziate. "Tuttavia, se non si è vaccinati (e ora, rafforzati), allora c'è un rischio maggiore," dice, aggiungendo che si tratta di ridurre il rischio per te stesso e per gli altri.

"C'è sempre un elemento di rischio, ma possiamo tutti ridurlo se stratificiamo le protezioni per noi stessi e per chi ci circonda."

"There needs to be a special emphasis on care," says William Schaffner, a professor of preventative medicine at Vanderbilt University. "For example, all guests must be vaccinated (and ideally boosted at least 14 days earlier). Another layer of security could be provided if everyone got a test rapido the morning of the get-together.

"Those at high risk might consider limiting the number of feste stagionali they attend," he adds. "If they attend worship services, they ought to wear maschere and sit apart from others. By being cautious we still can retain the spirit of the holidays."

In England, people without symptoms are advised to do rapid tests on days when they are more likely to catch or spread COVID-19. Esempi potrebbero includere, prima di incontrare altre persone al chiuso o quando si visita qualcuno a rischio di ammalarsi gravemente a causa del virus.

In Scozia, people have been advised to test before mixing with other households or visiting busy areas. People in Galles e Irlanda del Nord are also being asked to test before going to crowded places or visiting others.

If you do develop symptoms, it's important to do a test PCR as soon as possible and stay at home until you get your result. If it is positive, you need to auto-isolarti. Il periodo di autoisolamento include il giorno in cui sono iniziati i tuoi sintomi (o il giorno in cui hai fatto il test, se non hai sintomi) e i successivi 10 giorni pieni.