The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that the omicron variant, now detected in 38 countries, appears to be more contagious than the COVID-19 delta variant.

The organisation had said there was a suggestion of increased transmissibility, adding that “what we need to understand is if it’s more or less transmissible compared to Delta.”

“Omicron has some 30 mutations on the spike protein, which is the mechanism used to bind to human cells.

“Some of these mutations are associated with higher transmission and the ability to escape immune protection,” WHO had said.

The Omicron variant is in South Africa, Botswana, U.S., Canada and others.

Meanwhile, South African scientists found that omicron is associated with a “substantial ability” to re-infect people who already had COVID-19, compared with past variants of the virus.

The study, published by the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, has not yet been peer reviewed.