What is the Omicron variant? How dangerous is it?
Due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, 2022 is looking more like ‘2020 2’ as the number of cases increases. Once again, New York City is seeing record numbers. However, what is the Omicron variant, and what makes it different from the initial strand?
The initial strand of COVID-19 was itself a variant of SARS (or, the bird flu). From 2002 to 2004, SARS infected thousands of people all over the world with an acute respiratory illness.
Then in 2020, the world at large saw a variant of SARS hit hard, spread rapidly, and cause a global pandemic. Even with a readily available vaccine on the market, the U.S. is now seeing a resurgence of cases. What is the Omicron variant? More importantly, how can people prepare for it in the following year?
Symptoms
The idea of COVID-19 variants is scary for many and for good reason. The CDC had only begun to understand the initial 2020 variant when Delta hit. While they were trying to understand the Delta variant, the Omicron variant hit.
They’re now doing research into the question of, “What is the Omicron variant?” So far, they’ve discovered it shares the same symptoms with previous variants. They include headache, fever, fatigue, breathing challenges, and loss of taste & smell.
The symptoms themselves haven’t seen many variations. However, the CDC has noticed the Omicron variant spreads more easily. In fact, they’ve predicted it could infect even people who’ve been vaccinated. Yet, this shouldn’t stop people from still seeking vaccinations where ever possible.
Vaccines
By December 2021, much of the U.S. – and the world at large – had been vaccinated. This helped curb the spread of coronavirus significantly. Yet, many people still haven’t been vaccinated.
While many are asking, “What is the Omicron variant?”, many others are wondering why more people aren’t vaccinated. This could be an issue of political beliefs. Many people don’t trust the vaccine. Many others simply lack access.
Unfortunately, the vaccine obviously isn’t the cure-all many hoped it would be. It’s slowed more than stopped the spread of all coronavirus variants. This makes it important & effective, but it needs to also be more available – in the U.S. as well as globally.
Laughter in pain
The spread of the Omicron variant is getting scarier every day. It can infect people even when they’ve been vaccinated. It can spread through people who don’t even know they’ve been infected.
Yet, people responded to this painful situation as they always do – with hilarious Twitter memes!
Omicron, what is this behaviour?#Memes #omicronmeme #Covid_19 #covid19 #biggboss pic.twitter.com/fJbPKmvE7x
— Shourye (@Shourye2) January 2, 2022
Most of them focused on one artist in particular: hit R&B artist Omarion. The singer even took to Twitter to clear up the joke-riddled confusion.
.@Omarion, not to be confused with anyone or anything else, is here to wish you a happy and safe New Year! ❤️ #RockinEve pic.twitter.com/A2PcKeTtVQ
— New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (@RockinEve) January 1, 2022
The various memes have helped people laugh through the pain of possibly seeing a resurgence in cases. The question still remains, though: what is the Omicron variant and what can people do about its spread?
Steps forward
The Omicron variant, like the Delta variant before it, is scary. It spreads more easily and is causing major issues – especially among the non-vaccinated. “What is the Omicron variant?” is still a major question on people’s minds even as they’re looking at having to once again reorganize their lives around it.
One thing remains the same, however. Safety measures can be taken to mitigate people’s chances of getting sick. Thorough hand washing, wearing masks, social distancing, and getting vaccinated.
The CDC is still asking, “What is the Omicron variant?” This doesn’t mean everyday people can’t use these safety measures to protect themselves and their loved ones as much as possible.
What is the Omicron variant? It’s scary and it spreads fast but it will neither conquer the vaccine nor the human will to survive. We’ll make it through 2022 by remembering we survived 2020, too.
