# The Omicron Variant **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [November 29, 2021, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134 "2021-11-29T13:54:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2021, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/1 "2021-11-29T13:54:38Z")
So, 8 countries in Southern Africa are now on the restricted travel list because of a new and significantly mutated variant called, Omicron. Will it be as troublesome as Delta or more or less so? I’m hoping we can get our holiday season in before it spreads here and becomes a real factor. If we can do that, we can minimize it much better. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/2 "2021-11-30T12:51:14Z")
Covido is the latest Omigosh variant. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/3 "2021-11-30T13:27:20Z")
I just wonder if we’re officially changing the pronunciation of “omicron” to “Oh, my crone” to match the newscasters. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/4 "2021-11-30T13:29:28Z")
I noticed that. As I remember my classical Greek, omicron was the letter for their SHORT “O”, and omega is their letter for their long “O”. It should be pronounced, [AH - MAH - CRAN] ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/5 "2021-11-30T13:30:50Z")
Someone I know from Australia pronounces it “oh-my-crone”, so maybe it’s a regional difference. I’ve always pronounced it oh-mih-kron. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/6 "2021-11-30T14:29:37Z")
I mostly say uh-mi-cron, but I think ah-mi-cron would be my preferred pronounciation. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/7 "2021-11-30T14:30:35Z")
> **[Moderna CEO says vaccines likely less effective against Omicron - FT](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/moderna-ceo-says-vaccines-likely-less-effective-against-omicron-ft-2021-11-30/)** > > The head of drugmaker Moderna said COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to be as effective against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus as they have been previously, sparking fresh worry in financial markets about the trajectory of the pandemic. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/8 "2021-11-30T14:34:01Z")
But both of the mRNA makers are poised to produce an updated vaccine: > **[Moderna says an omicron variant vaccine could be ready in early 2022](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/28/moderna-says-an-omicron-variant-vaccine-could-be-ready-in-early-2022.html)** > > Omicron was classified as a "variant of concern" by the WHO last week. > **[Pfizer said an updated version of its COVID-19 vaccine will be 'ready in 100...](https://www.businessinsider.com/pfizer-vaccine-update-100-days-omicron-variant-resistant-2021-11)** > > Pfizer expects to know within two weeks whether the variant is resistant to its current vaccine, a company spokesperson told Reuters. > Pfizer said it will be able to manufacture and distribute an updated version of its COVID-19 vaccine within 100 days if the new variant Omicron is found to be resistant to its current vaccine. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/9 "2021-11-30T14:39:40Z")
I wonder how that interacts with the ability to vaccinate the world? Until this news came out, we were on-track to have a global vaccine surplus around June. (I’m sure there will still be distribution and access problems, but at that point, we could vaccinate kids in the US without it taking vaccine from the elderly in poor nations.) I hope this doesn’t set back the effort to vaccinate poor nations. 😢 ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/10 "2021-11-30T15:03:28Z")
What happened to Epsilon? Why did we go straight from Delta to Omicron? ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/11 "2021-11-30T15:05:10Z")
Don’t cloud the issue with reason and logic. 😈 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/12 "2021-11-30T15:05:45Z")
They skipped nu because it sounds like “new” and xi because it’s a common last name, but all the other intervening letters have been taken. Those just didn’t end up going anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/13 "2021-11-30T16:26:53Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > uh-mi-cron, but I think ah-mi-cron I pronounce it oh-mi-cron, because that’s how Lrrr pronounces it. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/29sXnMES54s/maxresdefault.jpg "One of these days Ndnd...") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29sXnMES54s) ---
**Author:** ![raspberry\_hunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@raspberry\_hunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raspberry_hunter)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/14 "2021-11-30T18:13:05Z")
Thing is. I can’t imagine any reason why a vaccine CEO might be all “oh, this current vaccine is probably not so effective against Omicron, you will probably have to also get the new variant vaccine which we will sell you!” /sarcasm (It might be true! But I’m going to wait until someone who doesn’t have a vested financial interest says it.) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/15 "2021-11-30T18:18:23Z")
BTW looking at the thread title, “The Omicron Variant” totally sounds to me like a title for a thriller or scifi novel. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/16 "2021-11-30T18:29:54Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I mostly say uh-mi-cron, but I think ah-mi-cron would be my preferred pronounciation. I never took any Latin classes but I wonder if an ‘i’ is pronounced like most languages other than English, like ‘ee’ (or rhymes with ‘me’)? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/17 "2021-11-30T19:11:48Z")
It’s probably going to be more troublesome. Unlike Delta a new vaccine version will probably be needed. And while it may only be a few months until they can start production, it will probably take much longer to manufacture and distribute hundreds of millions of doses (let alone billions needed to vaccinate the world). > [@puzzlegal](#): > > xi because it’s a common last name I’ve heard it was because of one specific individual: **Xi Jinping** , the top government leader in China, who for some reason didn’t want a Covid strain named after him… > **[Xi Jinping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Jinping)** > > Xi Jinping (Chinese: 习近平; pinyin: Xí Jìnpíng, pronounced \[ɕǐ tɕîn.pʰǐŋ\];\[a\] born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, since 2012. Xi has also been the president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) since 2013. He belongs to the fifth generation of Chinese leadership. > The son of Chinese Communist veteran Xi Zhongxun, Xi... ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/18 "2021-11-30T19:41:37Z")
Well, it would be weird and awkward to name a covid again after a world leader. But the name is common enough they would probably have skipped it even without him. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/19 "2021-11-30T20:09:18Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > I’ve heard it was because of one specific individual: > > **Xi Jinping** … This is certainly the message being peddled by more right-wing sources, evidently as proof that WHO is in bed with the Chinese Communist Party. That proof appears to be “because Ted Cruz said so.” ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/20 "2021-11-30T20:10:01Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Until this news came out, we were on-track to have a global vaccine surplus around June. At this point, every adult in the US who wants to be vaccinated already is vaccinated. Many of us will want a Omicron jab if that becomes a thing, but that won’t really be a big problem. I think this might cause a month delay at best. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134.md?page=2)