# The Omicron Variant

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134>\
**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:** 1\
**Showing post:** 431

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**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omicron-variant/955134/431 "2022-01-20T21:58:28Z")

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More not-so-good news about Omicron, It is probably has a longer tail of infectiousness than has been assumed (notably, 5 days of isolation probably isn’t enough).

[How does Omicron spread so fast? A high viral load isn’t the answer (nature.com)](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00129-z)

> In countries around the world, Omicron has rapidly surged past other variants to become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain. Now, two studies show that the variant has achieved success despite causing viral levels in the body that are similar to — or lower than — those of its main competitor, [the Delta variant](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02187-1)

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