Learning More About the Omicron COVID-19 Variant

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in the US and is spreading. Scientists in South Africa have found that Omicron is at least three times more likely to cause reinfection than previous variants like Beta and Delta. This conclusion is based on a study of 2.8 million positive samples, with nearly 36,000 suspected reinfections. While Omicron's ability to evade immunity from prior infection is evident, the severity of the strain remains unknown and requires more time to assess.

What is still unknown about the severity of the Omicron strain according to the text?

What do doctors say about the time required to assess the severity of the Omicron variant?