Publisher Health

• Is there any evidence that Omicron is any more harmful than any other variant? O’Connell, Nottingham

  Philippa Roxby
  BBC Health Correspondent

  Scientists who’ve analysed the variant say they are worried by what they see in the lab. Omicron has more mutations than any other variants and they’re different too.

  This could mean it’s more infectious, causes more serious illness and is better at evading vaccines than previous variants.

  But none of this is certain. It will take time for the true threat from Omicron to be assessed as cases are detected and monitored across the world.

• How do I know if I have the new variant? Kerry Ganly, Heage, England

  Philippa Roxby
  BBC Health Correspondent

  If you have Covid symptoms and carry out a PCR test, which is analysed in a lab, you will be contacted by your local contact tracing system if you’re suspected to be positive with Omicron.

  All swabs of suspected Omicron cases are then sent to specialist labs for genomic sequencing which confirms if it’s Omicron or not.

  But by that time, if you’re positive you will be self-isolating and, under new guidance this week, your household and close contacts will also have to self-isolate, even if they are fully vaccinated.

• Will the current lateral flow tests detect the Omicron variant? Ken Lappin, Eastwood, England

  Philippa Roxby
  BBC Health Correspondent

  As far as we know, the rapid or lateral flow tests which you can do at home will be able to detect the Omicron variant – just as they are able to detect other variants of coronavirus.

  However, they can’t tell you which variant you’re infected with – only if you’re positive or negative.

  Only a PCR test would be able to do this, because it’s checked in a lab.

• Why are we not vaccinating children above the age of five? I keep hearing of young children who have caught the virus. Merete Gardiner, Oxford

  Philippa Roxby
  BBC Health Correspondent

  Young children can be infected with the virus, but they are very unlikely to become seriously ill. Most cases are mild and children recover quickly, particularly young children.

  The UK has now advised that children aged over 12 should be offered two doses – but the UK regulator has yet to license any Covid vaccine for younger children.

  Even if that happens, as it has in the US, Canada and a number of other countries, the jury is out on whether it’s worthwhile.

  Vaccine advisers would have to be convinced that the benefits of vaccinating young children would outweigh any risks (however small) from the vaccines.

  But that calculation could all change with fears around Omicron – time will tell.

• My wife is clinically vulnerable and had a booster nearly three months ago. With boosters now recommended three months after a second main dose of the vaccine, will or should she get a second booster three months after her last one?
  Dave, Hampshire, England

  Philippa Roxby
  BBC Health Correspondent

  There is currently no advice on whether a second booster will be needed or recommended for clinically vulnerable groups.

  If your wife had a third primary dose, however, to increase her original protection against Covid then she could still be entitled to a booster (which would be her fourth dose).

  Having had a booster, her immune system should be as well-prepared as it can be to fight off the virus this winter.

• What is the rationale in making masks compulsory on public transport and shops but not in the hospitality sector? Jacqui, Stanwick

  The new rules about mask wearing in England apply to shops and public transport, but not to other indoor venues such as gyms, theatres, cinemas, or hospitality settings.

  Health Minister Edward Argar told the BBC they were not being extended to hospitality venues for practical reasons: “Where people are eating, drinking [they] may go to a bar to order a drink, but will often then sip the drink on their way back to their table.”

  Until 19 July, customers in England were required to wear masks when not seated – for example, when being shown to a table or going to the toilet.

  This requirement remains the case in pubs and restaurants in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

  Face coverings aren’t required in pubs and restaurants in Wales either, although they must be worn in all other indoor spaces.

• Is there positive evidence that wearing ordinary masks, not N95 ones, actually makes a useful difference? Andrew Fogg

  Evidence suggests Covid transmission mainly happens indoors where people are close together.

  Covering the nose and mouth reduces the spread of coronavirus droplets from coughs, sneezes and while speaking. Routinely wearing one can help reduce virus spread from contagious people who have no symptoms.

  The main purpose is to protect others, although there is some evidence they also offer protection to wearers.

  To be effective, masks should have a nose wire, contain at least two or three layers of material and fit snugly over the mouth, nose and chin.

  Standard surgical masks also work well. It is possible to buy FFP2 and FFP3/N95 masks used by healthcare workers which can offer higher protection. However, these must be fitted correctly to work.

• If face coverings are compulsory in shops and public transport, shouldn’t it be also compulsory in offices, or should the government also make it compulsory to work from home? Gary, Wokingham

  The work-from-home guidance in England ended when most Covid rules were lifted on 19 July.

  The prime minister’s spokesman has said the emergence of the new Omicron variant has not altered that position, adding that it is up to employers to decide on “the right balance”.

  The government has previously said it may ask people in England to return to remote working for “a limited period” if the NHS comes under unsustainable pressure this winter.

  In recent weeks, ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all repeated their current advice to continue working from home wherever possible.

• I am flying to London to stay in a hotel for three nights. Under the new rules will I have to isolate at my hotel until I get a negative PCR test result, which could be during the third day of my stay? Carlos, Madrid

  Yes. Under new rules designed to stop the spread of the Omicron variant, every traveller coming to the UK now needs to take a PCR test within 48 hours of their arrival.

  While you are waiting for a result, you must self-isolate – whether or not you have been vaccinated. You can only stop self-isolating when you get a negative test result.

  The only exception is for people arriving from Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or within the UK.

  The PCR test must be booked before you travel, and bought privately from a government-approved list of providers. You cannot use a lateral flow test.

  Unfortunately, given how short your trip to London is, you may decide it is not worth travelling.

• My seven-year-old daughter and I are due to go to Zambia for Christmas. Will we be required to isolate in a government hotel on our arrival back in UK? Chantelle Barratt, Romsey

  Yes. Under new rules designed to stop the spread of the Omicron variant, 10 southern African countries including Zambia have been placed on the government’s red list.

  The only people allowed to enter the UK from these countries are UK or Irish nationals, or UK residents.

  They have to pay for and self-isolate in a pre-booked government-approved hotel for 10 days, regardless of their age or vaccination status.

  Current rates are £2,285 for an adult, £1,430 for an additional adult or a child over 11, and £325 for a child aged five to 11.

  You will also have to take a Covid test in the three days before you travel to England, and you and your daughter will have to take two further PCR tests during your quarantine. These tests are provided as part of your quarantine package.

• I have just been tested positive, but after many phone calls to 119 and 111 I cannot find out what strain I have, and it is not detailed in the result email or text. How can I make a decision about other household members isolating if I do not know these details? Laurie Roberts, Chalfont St Peter

  You will be notified by your local contact tracing system – for instance, NHS Test and Trace in England – if you’re a suspected Omicron case.

  At that point, if you’re a suspected case, you, your household and your close contacts will have to self-isolate for 10 days, even if fully vaccinated, under new guidance for the UK.

  It’s only through analysing PCR test swabs that a positive test for Omicron can be confirmed, which is why only small numbers have been detected so far, although there are likely to be many more out there.

End of Omicron Variant