Black Twitter is good at making light of a situation. The COVID-19 variant Omicron is the newest mutation is concerning doctors across the world. But Black Twitter is getting a laugh out of the fact that its name resembles that of the former B2K singer Omarion.
In a video posted to Twitter by The World Health Organization, Maria Van Kerkhove who operates the technical lead on COVID-19, updated users on the strain.
“There’s a lot of work that is ongoing in South Africa and in other countries to better characterize the variant itself in terms of transmissibility, in terms of severity and any impact on our countermeasures, like the use of diagnostics, therapeutics or vaccines,” she said. “So far there’s little information, but those studies are underway.”
The Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution met today to review what is known about the #COVID19 variant B.1.1.529.
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 26, 2021
They advised WHO that it should be designated a Variant of Concern.
WHO has named it Omicron, in line with naming protocols https://t.co/bSbVas9yds pic.twitter.com/Gev1zIt1Ek
President Joe Biden on Friday (Nov. 26) announced that the U.S. will restrict travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi which experts predict that it is only a matter of time before the variant is present in the U.S. per ABC.
“While we have said that travel restrictions can slow the speed of omicron, it cannot prevent it. Here’s what it does: it gives us time,” Biden said. “It gives us time to take more actions. To move quicker, to make sure people understand you have to get the vaccine. You have to get the shot. You have to get the booster.”
Biden also assured that “this variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic.”
In the meantime, look at some hilarious tweets:
