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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Melissa Davey Medical editor

New Covid variants are circulating. What do we know and will the Omicron-specific booster be effective?

Omicron WHO Vaccine Covid-19 ATAGI Pfizer
A nurse prepares a syringe of a Covid-19 vaccine
Health officials say boosters and current antivirals such as Paxlovid appear to work well against the new Covid variants. Photograph: Rogelio V Solis/AP

Health authorities have warned of a new wave of Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations being driven by Omicron subvariants XBB and BQ.1. The latest federal health department data shows that as of 25 October, the average national daily cases increased by 2.2% compared with the previous week.

So how worried should we be about these variants, and do they affect advice around booster doses?

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