LIVE - Updated at 01:02
Data from the UK and South Africa suggest Omicron carries a reduced risk of hospitalisation and severe disease; Xi'an, China, is under strict lockdown following 52 new infections.
If you missed our earlier stories detailing the results of two recent studies out of the UK and South Africa, here's a brief run-down on what it all means.
An Imperial College study analysed hospitalisations and vaccine records among both Omicron and Delta Covid cases in England between 1 and 14 December.
Researchers found the Omicron variant appears to be milder, with a 20%-25% reduced chance of a hospital visit and at least a 40% lower risk of being admitted overnight.
A separate, preliminary analysis of Omicron cases in Scotland pointed to an even greater reduction in the risk of hospitalisation compared with Delta. Scientists on the Eave II study, using hospital data from 23 November to 19 December, concluded that the risk of hospitalisation may be 70% lower with Omicron than Delta.
South Africa has also reported data on Covid cases driven by the Omicron variant that appears to give added impetus to claims Omicron carries a lower severity of disease.
"In South Africa, this is the epidemiology: Omicron is behaving in a way that is less severe," said Prof Cheryl Cohen of the country's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), one of the authors of the study.
"Compellingly, together our data really suggest a positive story of a reduced severity of Omicron compared to other variants," she said during a news conference by a group of NICD scientists on Wednesday.
Hello it's Samantha Lock back with you on the blog as we near the end of the week and the countdown to the holiday break really begins.
I'll be bringing you all the latest Covid developments from across the world.
Let's start with some promising news that the Omicron variant - which has so far been detected in 106 countries - may be less severe than other coronavirus strains such as Delta.
The latest data suggest Omicron does not cause more severe illness than previous variants, but soaring infection numbers could still cause more deaths.
"We do have some data suggesting that rates of hospitalisation are lower," said WHO's technical lead on Covid-19, Maria van Kerkhove, while cautioning against drawing conclusions from early data.
Kerkhove's statement seems to be backed by two studies out of South Africa and the UK. Researchers from the Imperial College in London found the Omicron variant appears to be milder, with a 20%-25% reduced chance of a hospital visit and at least a 40% lower risk of being admitted overnight.
The findings follow a study from South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) which found "reduced severity" of Omicron compared to other variants.
"In South Africa, this is the epidemiology: Omicron is behaving in a way that is less severe," said NICD professor Cheryl Cohen.
As Covid numbers continue to increase throughout practically all regions of the world, China is continuing to pursue it's strict Covid-zero policy.
Authorities in the northern city of Xi'an have imposed a stringent lockdown after 52 new reported infections were recorded.
More than 13 million people will be ordered to stay at home except to buy necessities once every two days or in emergencies from midnight on Thursday.
Here's a run-down of all the Covid news you may have missed:
Europe
United States
Asia
Africa
Middle East