EXPLAINER: What we know and don’t know about omicron variant

By JAMEY KEATEN and MARIA CHENG
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says it could still take some time to get a full picture of the threat posed by omicron, a new variant of the coronavirus as scientists worldwide scramble to assess its multiple mutations. Stock markets swooned, some public gatherings got canceled, and countries across the globe suspended flights after South African scientists identified the new version that appears to have been behind a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in the country’s most populous province. The U.N. health agency issued a statement Sunday on omicron that boiled down to “We don’t know much yet.”