Covid symptoms: Hoarse voice could be a sign of Omicron

Fortunately, there is little evidence that the variant causes more serious disease or is more dangerous than previous strains.

However, the finding that it is causing reinfection has taken researchers by surprise, as this trend wasn’t seen with previous strains.

It has previously been believed that an infection from coronavirus and the vaccine would offer lasting protection against reinfection.

But since the Omicron variant was first detected, the number of people reinfected with coronavirus has grown sharply.

The interval between reinfections tends to range from 90 days to 650 days – but on average the period is about a year.