In December, we invited CSS Biobank volunteers to complete a rapid survey to understand how people’s festive plans might influence the spread of Omicron.
The anonymous results, reviewed by the government’s Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) committee, showed that over 95% of respondents planned to change some of their behaviours over the Christmas period to reduce the risk of transmitting or catching Omicron. The most frequently reported measures to reduce transmission were getting a vaccination and using rapid testing kits.
The paper has been preprinted (meaning it is a preliminary report of work that has not been vetted yet by other scientists) and will be submitted to a medical journal for peer review. The preprint is available to read here. Please note that the CSS Biobank data is grouped with the TwinsUK data.