Bracing for impact: The emergence of Omicron and what happens next

The confirmation of the emergence of a new variant of the coronavirus has caused worldwide concern. But what exactly might it mean, and how can we best deal with it?

As of last week, 352 cases of Omicron had been confirmed worldwide, 70 of which were reported in 13 EU countries. Picture: Getty

There was no sense of panic at the BioNtech offices in Mainz, Germany on November 25 when news came through of a novel Covid-19 variant that had been identified in South Africa.

“As soon as we heard, we started to work on it,” Sean Marett, chief commercial officer with BioNtech, told the Business Post.

The company, which innovated the mRNA Covid-19 vaccine that it and Pfizer are now distributing around the world, has spent the ...