It’s All Greek to Me: SARS-CoV-2 Variants, Vaccines and Antivirals

The recent emergence and rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has certainly set the cat among the pigeons. Following the successful roll out of the COVID-19 vaccines across the UK adult and adolescent populations, the arrival of a new, apparently less vaccine susceptible, variant threatens to undo all the good work.

So, what do we know about the various COVID-19 viral variants associated with the various epidemics of illness in the UK? What is different about the Omicron variant and what can be done to ameliorate its potential impact over the winter?

This FPM Deep Dive article has been prepared by Professor Penny Ward with input from FPM’s COVID-19 Team, notably Dr Renata Crome, Dr Flic Gabbay, and Dr Sheuli Porkess.

You can read the full article on the FPM website: https://www.fpm.org.uk/deep-dive/greek-to-me/