Omicron Updates: Amid rising calls for governments to treat Covid-19 as endemic-like influenza, new studies have emerged that suggest the latest version of the highly-infectious Omicron variant is transmitting even faster than the original, and mild cases of the first may not offer much protection against future infections.The findings have come as a jolt to the world as many hoped that the ‘Omicron wave’ may help hasten the end of the pandemic. There has been a demand to treat coronavirus as endemic-like influenza as people have grown tired of pandemic restrictions, vaccines have become more accessible and deaths remain relatively low.The production of neutralizing antibodies during an Omicron infection appears related to the severity of the illness, according to one report from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, that was published online before being peer-reviewed.A Bloomberg report quoted researchers as saying that the milder form of most omicron cases in vaccinated people may leave those who recover from them still vulnerable to existing virus and future variants that emerge. The protection from a natural infection was about one-third that obtained through a booster shot, the study found.“Our results suggest that omicron-induced immunity may not be sufficient to prevent infection from another, more pathogenic variant, should it emerge in the future,” the researchers said. “They also highlight the continued importance of vaccine boosters in enhancing immunity, as breakthrough infection alone may not be reliable” in protecting against repeat infections or future illness from new strains, they said.Here Are Covid-related Latest Updates:• The omicron subvariant appears to be more contagious but data so far doesn’t show it’s more dangerous or that it evades protection from vaccines, said Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration. At worst, the strain could slow down the decline in omicron infections in the US, he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections updates here.