The Omicron variant, if you’re in the United States at the moment, is the real deal. Omicron was so obscure that it seemed no one was discussing it until the holiday season. It was discovered for the first time in Botswana and South Africa in November 2021. It spread quickly around the globe. Omicron was still the most common variant, as of December 2021. Due to the rapid spread of Omicron, some countries (including the U.S.) have implemented travel bans in an effort to #stopthespread.
Researchers are still trying to figure out how these mutations work together in Omicron, which contains at least 50 mutations. Omicron is much more contagious that Delta, the main variant that has swept the US, but scientists still have to work out why.WhyIt is very easily spreadable. Experts believe that Omicron is the most widely spread variant, even though they don’t know why.
Omicron’s severity is still being investigated.Yale Medicinenotes that most of the early reported cases of Omicron were in young people, and that still seems to be the case (via Infection Control Today).