Our findings imply that Omicron’s transmissibility is 1.5–1.8 times higher than that of Delta in terms of viral transmission. This is lower than the value reported by other studies, which claim that Omicron has a transmissibility 2.5 to 4 higher than that of Delta. This might be attributable to the rising rate of fully vaccinated and booster-vaccinated people. Meanwhile, the geographic variability is also linked to inconsistencies in the implementation of COVID-19 prevention and control measures in different regions. We also saw that the transmissibility of the two Omicron sub-lineages differed, with Omicron BA.2 being 1.2 times more transmissible than BA.1, which is similar to the results of several studies that suggest that BA.2 is 30 to 40 percent more infectious than BA.1. In comparison to Delta, applying a dynamic zero-COVID policy for interrupting Omicron transmission may necessitate greater preventative and control efforts.
