Omicronies & Covid’s Other Pals: Surge in infections in various countries from Omicron sub-variants is not of undue concern, given low severity and hospitalisation. Scientists hope it’ll stay that way

Knock! Knock! Who is there? Omicron. Omicron who? Omicron who conned you, with mutations. This could well be the new word game patented by the SARS CoV-2 virus. New sub-variants of Omicron springing up in different parts of the world are demanding attention. What threats do these new arrivals pose? Will there be local outbreaks, superspreader events or a resurgent global pandemic? Or will Omicron keep up its presence amidst us as a tamed version of SARS CoV-2 which vigorously wags its tail but does not bite? Even though most people worldwide have stopped paying attention to Covid, scientists continue to track new forms of the SARS CoV-2 virus. Public health agencies watch warily for evidence of increased virulence, which signals a potential threat of a severe pandemic re-emerging. Social media commentators watch with amusement, giving cute names to the new variants, replacing the annoying jumble of letters and numbers we have grown weary of.

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