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The impact of the Omicron variant is still not known as we wait to find out how its mutations could affect transmissability, the effectiveness of existing vaccines and how ill it might make us. It has not been established exactly where the variant emerged, but there are theories that variants can arise in people who have compromised immune systems.

Sharon Peacock, a microbiologist who is Professor of Public Health and Microbiology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge and Jonathan Ball, Professor of Virology at the University of Nottingham in the UK, say that this is because people with compromised immune systems can't shake off the virus as the body doesn't have the strength to fully recover. Consequently, the virus carries on living in the body, changing over time. However, they say that it's unlikely we will discover the origin of this variant and where it developed.

Photo: Graphic showing three viruses Credit: Getty Images