A new, Danish study of the infectiousness of the newly-identified Omicron variant of COVID-19 indicates a very fast spread and serious problems for those with two-dose vaccinations but not yet the booster. Earlier studies in the United Kingdom showed that Omicron infections doubled in two-to-three days and that only those vaccinated with the booster shot had significant efficacy against infection. The Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen showed similar results, except that they had a doubling rate of two days and did not obtain results for those with booster shots. They are presently pushing for a large rise in boosters.
The Danish study is rather worrisome because of its likely accuracy. Denmark has a sophisticated surveillance system, with both large-scale testing of the population and a high level of samples involved in their genetic sequencing. This translates into an early alert system for new variants, absent in most of the world. And given the present situation with Omicron, they are submitting every positive result to genetic sequencing. This means their results have a great likelihood for a solid estimate of the spread of Omicron.
