The WHO (World Health Organization) has classified the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus as concerning. The Omicron variant is a strain which mutated from the previous strain, and it is thought to have started in South Africa. This new variant is very concerning, as the previous Delta variant which is now the main strain in the world only had 2 mutations, and this one has 10. Because of all these mutations, this strain is much more dangerous and much more contagious. Many countries in Europe have citizens who recently traveled to South Africa and caught the Omicron variant. The US currently does not have any confirmed cases, but may have some that it did not find yet. Due to this, many countries have recently put travel restrictions on Southern African countries.
