Geneva, Jan 5 (TIWN) Amid reports that Omicron has symptoms akin to a common cold, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday warned that it is not a common cold and should not be taken lightly.

"With this variant, it will be next to impossible to escape infection," Preiser told DW.  The virologist was "cautiously optimistic" about the sharp decline in case numbers now being seen in South Africa, one of the countries first hit by the new variant.  "Maybe omicron is a bit less virulent than the previous strains," Preiser said. "But we are still seeing patients dying from it," he warned.  'Impossible' to escape infection with omicron The omicron variant was first registered in November and has since led to record-breaking numbers of infections in several European countries, including France where daily infections have recently surpassed 200,000.  While early reports on the variant have suggested it may have milder effects than other variants of the virus, scientists have warned that the surges in cases could easily overwhelm health services nevertheless.