What explains the discrepancy between variant’s apparent prevalence and the relatively low figures in official data?
The headlines have been unambivalent: Omicron is now the dominant variant in the UK and has been for close to a week.
By contrast, the number of confirmed Omicron cases seems extraordinarily low: the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported 15,363 new Omicron cases across the UK on 20 December, equivalent to just 17% of the cases reported by government the same day.
