You're listening to shortwave from NPR.

Hey short waivers, I'm Lequong here with Alison Aubrey and Pierre's Health Correspondent.

Hello.

Hey Emily, it's great to be here.

Hey, let's get into this.

I mean, I think you were busier this past weekend than you thought you'd be.

That's right. I thought it was going to be a quiet Thanksgiving weekend, but not so.

And as most people now know, scientists around the world have been keeping a keen eye out

for variants. And late last week, they found one.

The new variant of the coronavirus has been identified and is spreading around the globe.

The World Health Organization has just designated it an official variant of concern and given

it the name Omicron.

Omicron was first reported to the World Health Organization by South Africa. And news

of its spread has created uncertainty as the United States emerges from this holiday

weekend.

It was first identified in South Africa this month.

It's also been reported in Europe and Asia.

And there's a lot we don't know yet about Omicron. I mean, we don't know how transmissible

it is. We don't know how well vaccines protect against infection. So I'm kind of waiting

for more information and being extra cautious in the meantime.

That's right. And top infectious disease experts say Omicron is a wake up call that this

pandemic isn't over as many people in the United States and around the globe remain unvaccinated.

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