When the omicron variant was first detected, everyone said to wait for the data as researchers raced to understand the new variant.

Now, we have some of the first answers from a University of Florida.

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Immunologist Dr. David Ostrov was asked by the Global Virus Network to analyze and map out omicron’s mutations.

The new variant has more mutations than any COVID-19 strain so far. Those mutations are in four key sites of the virus. At least one of those sites affects omicron’s transmissibility.

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“It’s probably between two times and five times as transmissible as delta,” Ostrov said.

He said there’s data indicating that the vaccine efficacy in many places is between 60 and 70%, not 90% to 95%.

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