News ‘Spreading at a rate we have not seen’ – Omicron more resistant to COVID-19 vaccines December 14, 2021 Karen Weintraub and Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY Comments Off on ‘Spreading at a rate we have not seen’ – Omicron more resistant to COVID-19 vaccines The omicron variant is substantially more contagious and reduces the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, according to a new South Africa study.