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The combination of Delta and Omicron variants is driving a dangerous tsunami of Covid-19 cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said, as the US and countries across Europe reported record new cases.

However, a growing body of evidence suggests that mutations seen on the Omicron variant make it more likely to infect the throat than the lungs, which scientists believe may explain why it appears to be more infectious but less deadly than previous variants such as Delta.

Professor Ravindra Gupta, from the University of Cambridge and a member of the British government鈥檚 virus threat advisory group, explains the results of tests that they ran, where the Omicron variant was struggling to infect cells in the lower lung. He says that although cases seem less severe in vaccinated than unvaccinated people, the virus is still dangerous.

"We were surprised to see the biological characteristics have shifted quite significantly from what we were seeing with Delta."

Photo: A woman sneezes into her arm Credit: Getty Images

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