Omicron: What can we learn from South Africa's experience so far?

South Africa was where the new Omicron variant was first identified, and cases there have taken off rapidly.

This is starting to be seen in other countries, and the World Health Organization (WHO) says it is "spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant".

What else can we learn from the South African experience?

Does Omicron cause milder disease?

Data on hospital admissions for Covid in South Africa show them rising quite sharply in all provinces.

But they are not going up as fast as you...