Omicron ‘the most significant threat since the start of the pandemic’

Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said the Omicron variant poses “the most significant threat we’ve had since the start of the pandemic”.

Appearing in front of a transport committee on the threat of Omicron to international travel, Dr Harries warned the new numbers behind the spread of the new variant “will be quite staggering” compared to the growth of previous variants.

Dr Harries also confirmed the doubling time of theis thought to be around 1.9 days.