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Omicron in children: Cases remain mild despite rise in hospitalisations

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By Michael Le Page More school-aged children are being infected by omicron, but findings suggest it causes less severe disease than previous variants Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Several countries are reporting record numbers of children being hospitalised as omicron spreads, with babies especially likely to be admitted. While this has led to claims that omicron is … Read more

Coronavirus variants: How alpha, delta and omicron tormented us in 2021

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A year ago, many were hoping the pandemic would soon be over – but then came alpha, delta and omicron Health 24 December 2021 By Michael Le Page A sign in Hounslow, London, in June 2021 James Veysey/Shutterstock What a year it has been. In December 2020, the first vaccination campaigns were just getting under … Read more

Omicron: How do prior infections affect covid-19 risk from new variants?

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Many people all over the world have now had one infection with covid-19 – how does that affect their future chance of a second round with the coronavirus? Health 8 December 2021 By Clare Wilson A healthcare worker does tests that detect antibodies to the coronavirus Peter Kovalev/TASS via Getty Images For the past year, … Read more

Omicron: How do we stop coronavirus variants from evolving

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By Michael Le Page Artist’s rendering of the delta variant of the coronavirus Shutterstock / Fit Ztudio We are witnessing the scenario that many people feared unfold before our eyes. The new omicron variant can largely evade prior immunity and is spreading with alarming rapidity. And the really bad news is that there is every … Read more