Dec 16th 2021IF THERE IS one lesson the covid-19 pandemic has taught the world, it is that acting early pays off. So when news emerged on November 25th in South Africa of a worrying new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, countries immediately began scrambling to tighten the rules on international travel. By November 29th suspected cases of Omicron had been identified in many countries in Europe and elsewhere. Our most recent stories on the developing situation are listed below. Omicron covid cases are less severe than Delta, new studies say (Dec 22nd)But the number of infections may still overwhelm hospitalsWhat the spread of Omicron means for the world (Dec 17th)Hospitals are likely to struggle but boosters will help, predict two new studiesThe Omicron variant advances at an incredible rate (Dec 16th)Even if infections prove mild, that speed will have grave consequencesWhich countries are best protected against Omicron? (Dec 15th)Boosters, or a combination of infection and vaccination, are needed against the new variant Tracking covid-19 across the world (updated daily)Use our live data to follow the battle against the pandemicAs Omicron looms, Germany’s new covid tsar girds for battle (Dec 13th)Karl Lauterbach favours mandatory vaccination and tighter restrictionsEarly data on Omicron show surging cases but milder symptoms (Dec 11th) The variant’s capacity for reinfection appears unprecedentedWhy America’s Omicron response is weak (Dec 6th) Politics and the courts have hampered President Biden’s efforts against covidWhat the Omicron variant means for the world economy (Dec 2nd)Look to China for the likeliest source of a growth slowdownOmicron looks ominous. How bad is it likely to be? (Dec 2nd)Much has been learnt about how to treat covid-19 and how to live with itChina’s economy looks especially vulnerable to the spread of Omicron (Dec 1st)Disruptions would pose a test for economic policymakersPodcast: The Omicron calculus—the world economy is in a tight spot (Dec 1st) Film: How dangerous is Omicron? (Dec 1st)Why the Omicron variant is not a punishment for vaccine inequity (Nov 30th)The rich world should share its jabs for a host of other reasonsBioNTech’s vaccine may need a tweak, but its founder is unfazed (Nov 30th)Ugur Sahin stresses the importance of booster shotsPodcast: How the new variant could shape the pandemic (Nov 30th)Travel bans and the Omicron variant are hurting southern Africa (Nov 29th)South Africans feel unjustly punished for their country’s scientific rigourOmicron is starting to spread around the world (Nov 29th)A lack of genomic sequencing means many cases are likely to have gone undetectedWhy might new variants like Omicron spread more easily? (Nov 29th)Mutations allow new forms of the virus to better bind to human cellsPodcast: “With the epidemiology we see in South Africa, things are looking a little scary” (Nov 29th)What to do about covid-19’s threatening new variant (Nov 28th)South Africa’s scientists have bought the world time on Omicron. It should use itThree threats to the global economic recovery (Nov 29th)Tightening American monetary policy, slowing China and the Omicron variantCountries are scrambling to stop a new covid variant (Nov 26th)How big a threat is Omicron?Why coronavirus variants are named using the Greek alphabet (Jun 11th)It is simpler, and less contentious, than the technical or colloquial appellations