0:00.0	the strain that stole Christmas. I'm Jason Horton. I'm Rebecca Leib. And this is Ghost Town.
0:20.3	If you've been well alive in the world lately, you know that there's a new strain of COVID called
0:25.6	Omicron. But as quickly as the strain has appeared, there's been talk of a holiday-specific
0:30.4	conspiracy around it. And insanely enough, that's what we're talking about today. It's the Omicron
0:36.0	Anagram controversy just in time for Christmas. On November 24th, 2021, the new Omicron variant,
0:42.3	formerly called SARS-CoV-2B.1.1.529, was reported to the World Health Organization by specimens collected
0:54.3	on November 11th, 2021 in Botswana, and on November 14th, 2021 in South Africa. Two days later,
1:01.6	it was named Omicron, and classified as a variant of concern. Stunningly on December 1st, 2021,
1:07.4	the first confirmed US case of Omicron was identified in San Francisco from a traveler who returned
1:12.8	from South Africa. Using genomic surveillance, we're seeing Omicron appear in more and more states.
1:18.3	I'm sure you've seen it. On the news, I feel like every headline is like Indiana has it. That's
1:23.2	the headline from today. While Delta continues to be the main variant, how long that will be the case
1:27.9	remains to be seen as Omicron, while having milder symptoms is generally more and easily transmittable.
1:33.2	Moderna's president, Dr. Stephen Hoge, I hope I'm saying that right, says, quote,
1:37.6	this thing is a Frankenstein mix of all the greatest hits, referring to the variants
1:42.1	many concerning mutations. Quote, it just triggered every one of our alarm bells.
1:47.1	Fringe groups have latched onto the variant as being a threat to the upcoming holiday season.
1:51.8	It's a leap, I know. Omicron, who some people mistakenly call Omicron B, dropping the numbers
1:57.4	1, 1, 5, and 29, equally valuable in identifying the strain, have discovered the anagram
2:03.8	No Crimbo within it. Crimbo being the old British slang for Christmas.
2:08.6	Theorists say that this is a clear sign that there would be no Christmas this year,
2:12.2	another threat to humans from the powers that be. Who these powers be are likely big
	...

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