First noticed at the end of November in Botswana and South Africa, the Omicron variant is currently gift in around thirty countries, on all continents. If the World Health Organization (WHO) considers “high” the “chance that Omicron spreads globally”, many unknowns remain: contagiousness, effectiveness of existing vaccines, severity of symptoms. To date, no deaths associated with Omicron are reported, the organization insisted on Friday (December third).

Faced with this new variant, several countries have already tightened health restrictions: border controls, ban on travel to southern Africa, compulsory mask in transport and shops in the United kingdom, recommendation to vaccinate vulnerable kids in France.